Gastroenteritis and Food Poisoning Flashcards
What condition causes GI symptoms, diarrhoea, vomiting, abdominal pain and relates to invasion of tissue +/- toxin production?
Food poisoning
What is the commonest cause of food poisoning?
Campylobacter
What cause of food poisoning is rare, but can lead to morbidity and outbreaks?
E coli O157
What two organisms have a short incubation period of 1-6 hours?
Staph aureus and Bacillus cereus
What two organisms have a medium incubation period of 12-48 hours and there is invasion/toxin in gut which can often cause blood diarrhoea?
Salmonella
CI perfringens
What 2 organisms have a long incubation period of 2-14 days and can cause bloody diarrhoea?
Campylobacter and E coli O157
How long does it take for labarotory confirmation of bacteria?
48 hours for culture result
What two food products can campylobacter come from?
Raw milk
Poultry
Which organism rarely causes outbreaks, occurs in small numbers and results in pain, blood and a fever?
Campylobacter
What is the treatment for campylobacter?
Ciprofloxacin/erythromycin
What 3 food products can salmonella enteritidis come from?
Poultry, meat, raw egg
Where is salmonella occuring?
In animal gut
What is the treatment for salmonella enteritidis, which causes diarrhoea, vomiting, blood and fever?
Ciprofloxacin
What are the three most common groups of salmonellae?
B, C and D
What king of diarrhoea does E coli O157 cause?
Bloody
Is the infectious dose low or high for E coli O157?
Low
What two food products can E coli O157 come from?
Beef and raw milk/water
How can E coli O157 be transmitted?
Person to person
What toxin does E coli O157 produce?
Verotoxin (VTEC)
What organism can cause bloody diarrhoea nad haemorrhagic colitis?
E coli O157 VTEC
What syndrome can Haemolytic Uraemic Syndrome (HUS)?
E coli O157
`What three things does verotoxin do?
- Binds to receptors found on renal cells, RBC and others
- Inhibits protein synthesis
- Causes cell death
What is this a presentation of: abdominal pain, fever, pallor, petechiae, blood diarrhoea and oliguria?
HUS
What patients are commonly infected by HUS?
Under 16 years old
In HUS what are the white cells like, platelets, Hb, LDH?
High WWC
Low platelets
Low Hb
LDH > 1.5 x normal
How is HUS investigated?
Send stool culture samples for all bloody diarrhoea samples
Other than U&S, FBC, film, LFT, clotting what else would you send for?
Urine (dipstick/micro)
Lactate dehydrogenase
What are three complications of HUS?
- Acute renal failure
- Thrombocytopaenia
- Haemolytic anaemia
What 3 drug types are NOT given in HUS?
- Antibiotics
- Anti-motility agents
- NSAIDS
What kind of diagnosis are these factors involved in: selective culture, sorbitol non fermenter, E coli isolated, check for O157 antigen?
Microbiological diagnosis
What infection is associated with contacting farm animals and private drinking water?
E coli O157
What two things must you notify the Health Protection Unit on?
Haemolytic Uraemic Syndrome or O157
What is the likely cause of blood diarrhoea in children and elderly?
E coli O157
What virus is the commonest cause in kids
Rotavirus
How is rotavirus transmitted?
Person-person and faecal oral
What is diarrhoea like in rotavirus?
Not bloody, mild and watery
Along with diarrhoea, what 2 other symptoms occur in rotavirus?
Vomiting and fever first
What is the infectious dose like in rota virus?
Low
How is rota virus diagnosed?
PCR diagnosis on faeces
What is management for rotavirus?
Hydration
What is the rota virus vaccine like?
Oral and live attenuated
What is the ‘Winter Vomiting Disease’?
Norovirus
How is norovirus spread?
Faecal-oral/droplet routes spread, person to person or on contaminated food/water
What is the infectious dose like for norovirus?
Low
What is diarrhoea anad vomiting like in norovirus?
Explosive and sudden
What is the incubation for norovirus like?
Short
In what 2 ways is norovirus diagnosed?
- PCR on stool takes 6 hours
2. PCR on vomit using red Copan viral swabs
What is the management for norovirus?
Hydration
What infection is a side effect on antibiotic treatment?
Cl difficile
What two toxins does Cl difficile produce?
Enterotoxin and cytotoxin
Does CI difficile produce spores?
Yes
Where can CI difficile cause symptoms?
In the colon
What infection is related to “mild, bloody pseudomembranous colitis”?
C diff
What patients are most likely affected with C diff?
Elderly females >65
What 4 factors cause a high index of suspicion for C difficile?
- Recent antibiotics
- Surgery
- Hospital
- Use of stomach acid suppressants like PPIs