GI Infections Flashcards
What are commensals
Microorganisms living in the body in health ( do not cause disease)
What are opportunistic pathogens and example
- Commensals while contained within GI tract ⇒ won’t cause harm while inside
- Become pathogens when they cause diease
- But causing disease is not required for their survival
- Disease only caused because not contained or because protective mechanisms not working anymore
Eg.- Escherichia coli ⇒ to urinary or resp tract
- Bacteriodes fragilis
- Enterococcus faecium/faecalis
What are obligate pathogens
- DO NOT need host defences to be distrupted, unlike opportunistic pathogens
- Need to cause disease to transmit between hosts → evolutionary survival
- Can produce asymptomatic infection but not commensal
What is severe diarrheoa
> 3 days, >= 5 stools a day, T>38, bloody diarrhoea
DIfference in small bowel and large bowel gastroenteritis
Small - watery diarrheoa, abdominal cramping, bloating, gas
Large- water or bloody diarrhoea, low abdominal pain, fever
what pathogens are more likely to cause water fever diarrhoea
Viruses mainly but also bacteria that secrete toxins
Rice water diarrheoa, no fever
Vibrio Cholera
Clinical manifestation of Diarrhoea
> 3 x a day, liquid more than 80% of water, > 300 g/ 24 hr
Secretory diarrhea
Causes secretion or lack of reabsorbtion of water and electrolytes
Epigastric pain waning and waxing for a few hours, better after eating, worse 2-3 hrs later, resolved fo a while with Gaviscon and cessation of symptoms after PPI inhibitor but relapse after 2 weeks - what pathogen?
H. Pylori
How is H. pylori transmitted
Shed in stool contaminates water and food, colonises human stomach
pathogenic mechanism of H. pylori
Inflammation in stomach and duodenum
GLod standard for H. pylori infection vs first line
Gold standard is gastroscopy and biopsy, and histology/culture, however - However first lines are:
- Urea breath test (radioactively marked protein transferred to ammonia )
- Antigen in stools
Shigella symptoms
pale, sweating, abdomen soft but diffuse pain,
How is shigella transmitted
contaminated water or food (or mosquitoes), very low infectious load
What bacteria can cause dysentery
Shigella dysenteriae
How does shigella work
Invades colon and causes massive inflammation of gut epithelium
Clinical features of shigella and complications
- Bacterial dysentry
- Blood diarrhoea (+pus/mucus)
- Abdominal cramps
- Fever
- Local ⇒ Toxic megacolon (colon is inflating and starts to secrete a lot of cytokines)
- Systemic ⇒ Autoimmune diseases like GBS
Diagnosis of shigella
May use PCR but mainly stool culture
Treatment for shigella
Supportive
- IV fluids and painkillers
Antibiotics
- Ciprofloxacin
- Azithromycin
Most common cause of diarrhoea in developed world
Campylobacter spp
How is Campylobacter transmitted
Zoonotic ⇒ Associated with Poultry (frozen), wild birds and other animals, milk and water
Symptoms of campylobacter
Symptoms ⇒ Blood fever → may be bloody, no fever or watery fever eventually
Pathogenic mechanism of Campylobacter
What disease may it cause??
Infective and invasive, acts on small bowel or large colon, however can also lead to GBS as it secretes toxins
diagnosis and treatment of campylobacter
Clinical + stool culture, antibiotics
How is non-typhi Salmonella transmitted
Zoonotic ⇒ asssociated with poultry/ eggs
Pathogenic mech, diagnosis and treatment of Salmonella and symtpoms
Similar to Campulobacter
But symptoms slightly different , - Often serious ⇒ fever, diarrhoea, vomiting
Is vibrio cholerae infective or intoxicative
Intoxicative
Transmission of V cholerae
contaminated water or food(seafood)