Rapid emergence of extensively drug-resistant Shigella sonnei in France

This study reports the monitoring of antimicrobial susceptibility of 7,121 <em>Shigella sonnei</em> isolates collected in France between 2005 and 2021. We detected a dramatic increase in the proportion of isolates simultaneously resistant to ciprofloxacin (CIP), third-generation cephalosporins (3GCs) and azithromycin (AZM) from 2015. In order to study the increase of XDR <em>S. sonnei in France, a</em> total of 3,140 <em>S. sonnei</em> isolates from the whole collection were sequenced, including all 164 XDR isolate<em>.</em> This rapid emergence of XDR <em>S. sonnei, </em>including an international epidemic strain, is alarming, and good laboratory-based surveillance of shigellosis will be crucial for informed decision-making and appropriate public health action.