Infectious diarrhoea Flashcards
Define diarrhoea
Fluidity and frequency of stools as compared to normal for that patient (this is subjective)
Define gastro-enteritis
Three or more loose stools/day
accompanying features, one or more of: abdominal pain, fever,vomiting, blood or mucus in stool.
Define dysentery
Large bowel inflammation, bloody stools, tend to have a lot of pain.
What is the most common organism to cause diarrhoea due to food poisoning?
Campylobacter
This can incubate for up to 7 days so dietary history can be unreliable.
Can come from chicken, contaminated milk and puppies. Children are particularly susceptible to picking this up from contaminated faeces.
How does samonella gastroenteritis present?
Symptoms onset usually<48hrs
Diarrhoea lasts <10 days
Post infectious irritable bowel is common
Need to screen in lab as lactose non-fermenters
Commonest species in the UK are Salmonella enteritidis and Salmonella typhimurium
What organism is commonly associaed wit contaminated meat or farming?
E.coli O157
How does an E.coli O157 infection present?
Frequent bloody stools, the organism will stay in the gut but the toxin will move into the blood stream.
Patient will have abdominal pain with little fever.
Common in the elderly and very young.
Can cause haemolytic anemia, renal faliure and thrombocytopenia.
Treatment of gastroenteritis?
In otherwise healthy patients just maintain fluids, antibiotics are generally not needed.
When is the use of antibiotics indicated in gastroenteritis?
In immunocompromised patients
severe sepsis or invasive infection
chronic illness e.g. malignancy
What do you treat clostridioes difficile with?
Metronidazole Oral vancomycin Fidaxomicin Stool transplants Surgery may be required
What are the 4 antibiotics associated with clostridium difficile?
The 4 C's Cephalosporins Clindamycin Co-amoxiclav Ciprofloxacin
What are Giardia duoedenalis examples and how are they treated?
Gardia lamblia and Gardia instestinalis cause diarrhoea, gas, malabsorption, faliure to thrive, abdominal cramps.
They are treated with metronidazole
Explain what situations rotavirus and norovirus are found in.
Rotavirus- children under 5
Norovirus- instiution outbreaks e.g. in hospitals, schools or cruise ships
