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Fitango EducationHealth Topics

Bacterial Gastroenteritis

1

Overview

Bacterial gastroenteritis is inflammation of the stomach and intestines caused by bacteria.

2

Symptoms

Symptoms depend on the type of bacteria that

caused the sickness. All types of food poisoning cause diarrhea.

Other symptoms include:

-- Abdominal cramps

3

Symptoms

-- Abdominal pain

-- Bloody stools

-- Loss of appetite

-- Nausea and

vomiting

4

Diagnoses

Your health care provider will examine you

for signs of food poisoning, such as pain in the stomach and signs your body

does not have as much water and fluids as it should. This is called dehydration.

5

Diagnoses

Laboratory tests may be done on the food or a

stool sample to determine what germ is causing your symptoms. However, these

tests do not always show the cause of the diarrhea.

Tests may also be done to look for white

6

Diagnoses

blood cells in the stool, a sign of infection.

7

Treatment

You will usually recover from the most common

types of bacterial gastroenteritis in a couple of days. The goal is to make you

feel better and avoid dehydration.

8

Treatment

Drinking enough fluids and learning what to

eat will help keep you or your child comfortable. You may need to:

-- Manage the diarrhea

-- Control nausea and vomiting

-- Get plenty of

9

Treatment

rest

If you have diarrhea and are unable to drink

or keep down fluids because of nausea or vomiting, you may need fluids

through a vein (IV). This is especially true for young children.

10

Treatment

If you take diuretics ("water

pills"), talk to your health care provider. You may need to stop taking

the diuretic while you have diarrhea. Never stop or change medications without

first talking to your health care provider.

11

Treatment

Antibiotics are usually not prescribed for

most common types of bacterial gastroenteritis, unless the diarrhea is very

severe.

You can buy medicines at the drugstore that

can help stop or slow diarrhea.

12

Treatment

-- Do not use these

medicines without talking to your health care provider if you have bloody

diarrhea, a fever, or the diarrhea is severe.

-- Do not give these

medicines to children.

13

Causes

Bacterial gastroenteritis can affect one

person or a group of people who all ate the same food. It more commonly

occurs after eating at picnics, school cafeterias, large social functions, or

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Causes

restaurants.

The germs may get into your food (called

contamination) in different ways:

-- Meat or poultry

may come into contact with bacteria from the intestines of an animal being

15

Causes

processed

-- Water that is

used during growing or shipping may contain animal or human waste

-- Improper food

handling or preparation in grocery stores, restaurants, or homes

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Causes

Food poisoning often occurs from eating or

drinking:

-- Any food prepared

by someone who did not wash their hands properly

-- Any food prepared

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Causes

using unclean cooking utensils, cutting boards, or other tools

-- Dairy products or

food containing mayonnaise (such as coleslaw or potato salad) that have been

out of the refrigerator too long

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Causes

-- Frozen or

refrigerated foods that are not stored at the proper temperature or are not

reheated properly

-- Raw fish or

oysters

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Causes

-- Raw fruits or

vegetables that have not been washed well

-- Raw vegetable or

fruit juices and dairy products (look for the word "pasteurized" to

make sure the food is safe to eat or drink)

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Causes

-- Undercooked meats

or eggs

-- Water from a well

or stream, or city or town water that has not been treated

Many different types of bacteria can cause

21

Causes

bacterial gastroenteritis, including:

-- Campylobacter

jejuni (see: Campylobacter enteritis)

-- E. coli (see: E. coli enteritis)

-- Salmonella (see: Salmonella enteritis)

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Causes

-- Shigella (see: Shigella enteritis)

-- Staphylococcus

-- Yersinia

You should be better in a few days without

treatment.

23

Causes

Certain rare types of E. coli can

cause severe anemia or

even kidney failure.

Call for an appointment with your health care

provider if you have:

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Causes

-- Blood or pus in

your stools, or your stool is black

-- Diarrhea with a

fever above 101°F (100.4°F in children)

-- Recently traveled

25

Causes

to a foreign country and developed diarrhea

-- Stomach pain that

does not go away after a bowel movement

-- Symptoms of

dehydration (thirst, dizziness, light-headedness)

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Causes

Also call your doctor if:

-- The diarrhea gets

worse or does not get better in 2 days for an infant or child, or 5 days for

adults

-- A child over 3

27

Causes

months old has been vomiting for more than 12 hours; in younger babies, call as

soon as vomiting or diarrhea begins

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Prevention

See: Preventing food poisoning