GI 24 Flashcards
What is Colitis?
Inflammation of the inner lining of the colon
What are the symptoms of colitis?
- Abdominal pain
- Abdominal cramping
- Diarrhea
What are the causes of Colitis?
- Infection
- Inflammatory bowel disease
- Allergic reaction
- Ischemia
What is the infectious agent that causes Colitis?
C Diff
What are the characteristics of C Diff?
Gram-positive, spore forming bacteria
What can cause people to live with C Diff?
Some people just have it as part of their microbiome and have an adequate immune response to it
What is C Diff the leading cause of?
Health care associated infective diarrhea
What is a Nosocomial infection?
A disease originating in a hospital
What is the greatest risk factor for C Diff infection?
Antibiotic exposure
What drives colitis?
The failure to mount an immune response
How is C Diff spread and what is its effector mechanism?
Through the fecal oral route where the spores are resistant to gastric juices and can use things in the GI tract for nutrients and produce toxins
What are the two treatments for a C Diff infection?
- Antibiotic therapy
* Fecal microbiota transplant
What are the cons to using antibiotics to treat C Diff?
- Antibiotic resistance
- Broad-spectrum antibiotics can predispose to recurrent infection as other members of the gut microbiota are also impacted
What kind of antibiotics are needed to treat C Diff?
Narrow spectrum antibiotics so they don’t kill other parts of the gut biome
What is a ileostomy?
An individual have their ileum on the outside and they would no longer poop
