GI Flashcards
Duration of GI symptoms
- acute: < 14 days
- persistant: < 30 days
- chronic: > 30 days
GI anatomic considerations
- esophagus to stomach to small intestine to large intestine
- pH of stomach can withstand most bacteria
- peristalsis of small intestine inhibits adherence
- colon flora and IgA compete with pathogens
GI risk factors
- number of ingested organisms
- achlorhydia
- reduction in normal flora due to antibiotics
Traveler’s diarrhea
Enterotoxigenic E. coli
Parasitic infections
Giardia, Entamoeba
Antibiotic-associated diarrhea
C. difficile
Practical diagnosis
- History (food ingestion, travel, activities)
- Duration of illness
- Medications
- Underlying conditions
- Physical exam (state of hydration, exam of abdomen)
- Laboratory studies
- Fecal exam
Direct fecal smear
- Gram stain of smear
- WBC’s indicate invasion, not toxin
Enterotoxin-mediated diarrhea
- rapid onset indicates preformed toxin
- lack of fever
- absence of blood or pus
- large number of watery stools (> 20/day)
- Enterotoxigenic E. coli, cholera, S. aureus, C. perfringens, Bacillus cereus, viral or parasitic
Diarrhea mediated by invasion of bowel mucosal surface
- fecal leukocytes, RBC’s, fever
- Salmonella, Campy, Shigella, E. coli, Entamoeba
Diarrhea mediated by invasion of full thickness of bowel with lymphatic spread
- S. typhi, Y. enterocolitica
- presents with constipation
- fecal leukocytes and RBC’s
Common viral pathogens
Norovirus, Rotavirus, Adenovirus,? Some Enterovirus
Common bacterial pathogens
Salmonella, Shigella, Campylobacter. E coli, Yersinia, Clostridium difficile
Common parasitic pathogens
Giardia intestinalis, E. histolytica, Cryptosporidium, Cyclospora, Microsporidia
common protozoa
Giardia, Cryptosporidium, Entamoeba
common toxins associated with GI
Staphylococcal, Bacillus cereus, Cl botulinum, Cl perfringens, Scrombotoxin
- most common cause of diarrheal illness worldwide
- microaerophilic, Campy BAP, 42C
- seagull wing appearance, darting motility
- oxidase +, catalase +
Campylobacter jejuni
- contaminated meat, eggs
- symptoms 6-8 hours after ingestion
- usually self-limiting
- indole -, K/A H2S +, oxidase -
- enteric fever
- high inoculum required
Salmonella typhi
how many salmonella organisms need to be ingested for infection?
need around 1000 organisms per g of food to get infected
- dysenteriae, flexneri, boydii, sonnei
- sonnei is most common in US
- non-motile, oxidase -
- causes dynsentery
- low inoculum required
Shigella
- infantile diarrhea
- adhesive, mucus in stool (no blood)
Enteropathogenic E. coli
- Traveler’s diarrhea
- due to poor sanitation
- requires large inoculum
- releases toxins
Enterotoxigenic E. coli
- dysentery with direction invasion/destruction of mucosa
- similar to Shigella, but higher inoculum
- watery diarrhea with blood, mucus and WBCs
Enteroinvasive E. coli
- rice-water stool
- large loss of electrolytes
- associated with epidemics
- catalase +, oxidase +
- toxin produced
- yellow on TCBS
Vibrio cholera
- Summer diarrhea in Japan, associated with seafood
- diarrhea and cramping
- green on TCBS
Vibrio parahaemolyticus
- “lactose positive” species
- raw or undercooked seafood, wounds
- green on TCBS
Vibrio vulnificus
- grows at 4C, can go septic
- meat, unpasteurized milk, dairy products
- CIN agar (target growth)
- K/A, ODC +, non-motile
- self-limiting, possible invasion of mesenteric lymph nodes
- sometimes mistaken for appendicitis
Yersinia enterocolitica
- sometimes normally in intestines
- antibiotic-associated diarrhea
- pseudomembranous colitis
- mild to severe disease
Clostridium difficile
- deli meat
- grows at cold temps
- CAMP +, catalase +, tumbling motility
- premature labor, spontaneous abortion
Listeria monocytogenes
- peptic ulcers
- stomach cancer
- urease +, Christensen’s urea medium, urea breath test
- cinaedi and fennelliae associated with diarrhea
Helicobacter pylori
STD’s causing GI infections
- cause proctitis with lose stools and pain on defecation
- N. gonorrhoeae, Chlamydia, Treponema
Toxic agents of Food Poisoning (chemical)
- scombroid: flushing, headache, crampy abdominal, tissue of fish
- Ciguatera: red tide toxin buildup in fish, diarrhea, weakness, abdominal pain
- Tetrodotoxin: puffer fish toxin (death in 50%)
Preformed toxin from food borne disease?
S.aureus, B.cereus,Cl botulinum, scrombotoxin and paralytic shellfish poisoning
Toxin production in vivo from food borne disease?
C perfringens, B.cereus, Enterotoxigenic E.coli
Tissue invasion in food borne disease?
C.jejuni, Salmonella, Shigella, VTEC
when are the peaks of food borne disease during the year?
Peaks at Christmas (eat too much) and summer (BBQ)
HE plate
- Salmonella shows H2S (black colonies)
- Shigella has no H2S
SMAC
E. coli O157:H7 doesn’t ferment sorbitol
Campy agar
selective for Campylobacter jejuni
CIN agar (cefsulodin- Igrasan-novobiocin)
selective for Yersinia enterocolitica (target/bulls-eye growth)
TCBS agar
- Vibrio cholera and alginolyticus utilize sucrose (turn yellow)
- Vibrio vulnificus and parahaemolyticus don’t utilize sucrose
CCFA agar
selective for C. difficile (pale yellow colonies - fluoresce bright yellow)
Diarrhea treatment and prevention
- replenish electrolytes (IV fluids if necessary)
- antidiarrheal medications (not for invasive diarrhea)
- antibiotics to treat infection
incubation period of norovirus?
Usually 24 to 48 hours
common clinical features?
Vomiting, diarrhoea, fever
diagnosis?
EM, PCR
how is norovirus transmitted?
Person to person by the faecal oral route
how can vomiting transmitted the virus?
risk of infection from aerosols of projectile vomit.