Bacterial gastroenteritis
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- See also Gastroenteritis and Diarrhea
Bacterial gastroenteritis is an inflammation of the stomach and intestines caused by bacteria or bacterial toxins.
Causes
Many different types of bacteria can produce the symptoms associated with bacterial gastroenteritis, including salmonella, shigella, staphylococcus, Campylobacter jejuni, clostridium, E. coli, yersinia, and others. Some sources of the infection are improperly prepared food, reheated meat dishes, seafood, dairy, and bakery products. Each organism causes slightly different symptoms but all result in diarrhea. Colitis, inflammation of the large intestine, may also be present.
Risk factors are consumption of improperly prepared foods or contaminated water and travel or residence in areas of poor sanitation. The incidence is 1 in 1,000 people.
Symptoms
Signs and Tests
- Stool culture positive for the organism that causes the infection
- White blood cells in the stool
- Examination of food for toxin and bacteria
This disease may also alter the results of the following tests:
- Stool gram stain
- Fecal smear
Treatment
The objective of treatment is to replace fluids and electrolytes (salt and minerals) lost by diarrhea. Blood transfusions are rarely required.
Antibiotic or antimicrobial therapy is usually not indicated unless the rest of the body is affected.
Self-care measures to avoid dehydration include drinking electrolyte solutions to replace fluids lost by diarrhea, and eating no solid food until the diarrhea has passed. People with diarrhea, especially young children, who are unable to drink fluids due to nausea may need medical attention and intravenous fluids. People taking diuretics ("water pills") need to be cautious with diarrhea and may need to stop taking the medication during an acute episode, as directed by the health care provider.
Prognosis
With most infections, symptoms improve with fluid and electrolyte replacement within a week. There are rare cases of patients with renal failure and even death due to the infection.
Complications
- Systemic infection.
- Dehydration.
- Anemia (low blood counts).
- Kidney failure (rare).
- Arthritis.
- New onset of irritable bowel syndrome.
Acknowledgement and Attribution Regarding Sources of Content
Some of the initial content on this page may be incorporated in part from copyleft sources in the public domain including wikis such as Wikipedia and AskDrWiki. Drug information for patients came from the The National Library of Medicine. Infectious disease information may have come from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC). Differential Diagnoses are drawn from clinicians as well as an amalgamation of 3 sources: 1.The Disease Database; 2. Kahan, Scott, Smith, Ellen G. In A Page: Signs and Symptoms. Malden, Massachusetts: Blackwell Publishing, 2004:3; 3. Sailer, Christian, Wasner, Susanne. Differential Diagnosis Pocket. Hermosa Beach, CA: Borm Bruckmeir Publishing LLC, 2002:7 .
