Dysentery - The term dysentery refers to diarrhoea with visible blood in the feces. Important effects of dysentery include anorexia, rapid weight loss, and damage to the intestinal mucosa by the invasive bacteria. A number of other complications may also occur. The most important cause of acute dysentery is Shigella; other causes are Campylobacter jejuni and, infrequently, enteroinvasive E. coli or Salmonella. Entamoeba histolytica can cause serious dysentery in young adults but is rarely a cause of dysentery in young children.