A bibliometric and visualization analysis of traditional Chinese medicine for bacillary dysentery (Shigella infection): research hotspots and future trends

Objectives Bacillary dysentery, an acute intestinal infectious disease caused by Shigella, continues to impose a substantial global health burden amid worsening antimicrobial resistance, and traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) has been used in its prevention and treatment for more than two thousand years. This study aims to systematically map the research landscape of TCM for bacillary dysentery from 1991 to 2026 through bibliometric and visualization analysis, identify core contributing countries, institutions, and authors as well as current research hotspots and emerging frontiers, and forecast future development trends, in order to provide a clear and systematic reference framework for subsequent research. Methods A bibliometric and scientometric analysis was conducted using the Web of Science Core Collection (WOSCC), PubMed, and Scopus databases. Only English-language publications were included. Following the PRISMA 2020 guidelines, the retrieved records underwent comprehensive deduplication and stringent quality control checks. The search was performed on July 2, 2026; therefore, the 2026 data represent a partial (incomplete) year, and trend interpretations emphasize the complete annual data through 2025. By comprehensively applying VOSviewer (version 1.6.20), the R-based Bibliometrix package (version 4.4.3), and Python (version 3.11, with the networkx and matplotlib libraries), bibliometric analyses and visualizations were performed across multiple dimensions, including annual publication trends, journal distribution, country, institution, and author collaboration networks, keyword co-occurrence and burst detection, and reference co-citation. Results A total of 155 publications were included in this study. Publications appearing after 2021 accounted for over 60% of the total, indicating rapid growth in the field. China ranked first globally in both the number of publications and total citation frequency. Keyword analysis identified three core research themes: phytochemistry and antibacterial activity, clinical application of Chinese herbal medicine, and gut microbiota modulation. The bibliometric data identified gut microbiota, 16S rRNA, short-chain fatty acids, inflammation, oxidative stress, and intestinal barrier repair as recent frontiers; TLR4/NF- κ B and NLRP3 signaling, which did not emerge as burst or co-occurrence terms, are inferred as mechanistic directions from recent experimental studies rather than from the bibliometric analysis. Berberine, baicalin, paeoniflorin, and andrographolide were the most extensively studied active compounds. Many of the included mechanistic studies used chemical-colitis models (e.g., dextran sulfate sodium [DSS]-induced colitis) or generalized dysbiosis models rather than live Shigella infection models. Conclusion This analysis shows that research on TCM for bacillary dysentery is evolving from empirical application toward mechanistic elucidation. Multi-component, multi-target, and multi-pathway synergy, together with gut microbiota regulation, represents the priority for future work. High-quality clinical evidence and Shigella -specific in vivo models remain scarce, and translational research warrants further strengthening.