The illness which caused the death of a British couple who passed away within hours of each other has been confirmed as shigellosis, caused by the bacteria shigella.

John and Susan Cooper fell ill with the condition while holidaying in the Steigenberger Aqua Magic Hotel in Hurghada.

But what is shigella and what causes it?

What is shigella?

Shigella is a bacteria which causes an infection that affects the intestines and the rest of the digestive system.

It causes bacillary dysentery, also known as shigellosis, which is the most common type of dysentery in the UK.

Four species of the germ can cause the infection: shigella dysenteria, shigella flexner, shigella boydii and shigella sonnei.

While S. boydii and S. dysenteriae are not indigenous to the UK, the other two strains of the bacteria can be found in Britain.

How do I become infected and what are the symptoms?

Shigella is spread through contaminated water and food or through contact with contaminated faeces.

Although adults can of course catch shigella, children under 5 are the most likely to catch the infection.

Sufferers will experience frequent bouts of watery diarrhoea.

They may also run a fever and suffer abdominal cramps.

Those infected will usually find blood and mucus in their stools.

The NHS advise calling a doctor if you suffer from diarrhoea for more than three days.

The symptoms tend to present themselves three days after a person has been infected.

How serious is it?

Unfortunately, shigellosis is highly infectious.

As seen in the case of John and Susan Cooper, if left untreated, the infection can lead to death.

More than one million people are estimated to die from shigella infection each year, according to the World Health Organisation.

However, it is significantly more common for people to catch the infection in developing countries.

How do I lower the risk of contracting shigella?

The best way to avoid contracting shigella is to thoroughly wash your hands after going to the toilet.

Men who have sex with men have a higher risk of contracting the infection, so always use a condom.

How is shigella treated?

In most cases, diarrhoea caused by shigellosis lasts for up to seven days.

Doctors also advise not coming into close contact with anyone who has been infected until two days after they have been given the all-clear.

While shigellosis can be treated with a course of antibiotics, people taking treatment are still highly infectious.

For those who have milder symptoms, it is advised to drink plenty of water to avoid dehydration and take over-the-counter painkillers, such as paracetamol to relieve pain and fever.

Those with shigellosis should not prepare food while they have the condition.

Usually, a doctor will take a second stool sample from a patient to give them the all-clear.

Once you contract shigellosis, it is highly unlikely that you will become infected again.

Those who are incredibly unfortunate could contract it again from a different form of the germ, however.