Infectious diarrhoea Flashcards
Diarrhoea?
An arbitrary term of increased fluidity and frequency of stool, it is subjective
What is gastro-enteritis?
- Three or more loos stools/day
- Accompanying features
What is dysentery?
Large bowel inflammation, there will be bloody stools
Causes of gastro-enteritis?
- Contamination of food (eg chicken and campylobacter)
- Poor storage of food produce
- Travel-related (Salmonella)
- Person to person spread (Norovirus)
What is the most common cause of gastro-enteritis?
Viral cause - Norovirus, rotavirus, adenovirus
What is the most common cause of bacterial gastro-enteritis?
Campylobacter. 280,000 cases/year
What is a complication of Campylobacter gastroenteritis?
Guillian-Barre Syndrome
What pathogen is most likely to cause a hospital admission with gastro-enteritis?
Salmonella (source = poultry/travel)
What is the most common cause within “food-poisoning”?
Poultry meat (244,000 cases/yr)
How may cases of food poisoning?
500,000/year
What percentage of the population have infectious intestinal disorders per year?
25% of the population
What form of Escherichia coli is commonly associated with diarrhoea?
1) EHEC - Most common is Enterohaemorrhagic E. coli O157:H7 (undercooked meats)
2) EIEC - Invasive
3) ETEC - Toxigenic (Travellers’ diarrhoea)
4) EPEC (Paediatrics)
Defences against enteric infections?
- Hygiene
- Stomach acidity
- Normal flora
- Immunity
Clinical features of diarrhoeal illness?
1) Inflammatory = Dysentery
2) Secretory = Watery diarrhoea
3) Mixed picture
Clinical features of non-inflammatory/secretory diarrhoea?
Frequent watery stools with little abdomen pain.
How to treat secretory diarrhoea?
Rehydration is the mainstay of therapy
Common causes of watery diarrhoea?
- V cholera
- Enterotoxigenic E. coli = Travellers diarrhoea, heat stable (cGMP) and heat labile (cAMP) toxins
- Viruses - Adenovirus, norovirus, rotavirus
- Protozoa
Common causes of watery diarrhoea?
- V cholera
- Enterotoxigenic E. coli = Travellers diarrhoea, heat stable (cGMP) and heat labile (cAMP) toxins
- Viruses - Adenovirus, norovirus, rotavirus
- Protozoa
Mechanism of action in cholera?
Enterotoxin permanently activates Gs leading to an increase in cAMP by adenylate cyclase.
cAMP acts on the chloride channel leading to increased loss of chloride and consequently increased osmolality in the lumen of the GI tract. Water loss occurs as a direct result.
What is the most common source of V cholera?
Contaminated water or uncooked food (eg raw shellfish)
Microbiological tests to identify V cholera?
- Gram negative
- Comma shaped with flagellum
- Oxidase positive
- Grows in alkaline media
Microbiological tests to identify E coli?
- Gram negative
- Rod-shaped bacilli
- Catalase positive
- Lactose fermenting
- Encapsulated (antiphagocytic virulence factor)
Action of heat-labile toxin in E coli?
Over activates adenylate cyclase leads to a rise in cAMP and activation of chloride channels.
Cl is secreted and thus water efflux
Action of heat-stable toxin in E coli?
Over activates guanylate cyclase leads to a rise in cGMP. Decreased resorption of NaCl –> Decreased water resorption
What do pink colonies on MacConkey agar represent?
Fermentation of lactose
How does E coli breakdown lactose?
Produces beta-galactosidase which breaks lactose down into glucose and galactose
Best initial therapy for water diarrhoea?
Rehydration therapy
Clinical features of inflammatory diarrhoea?
- Inflammatory toxin damage or mucosal destruction.
- Pain and fever
- Dysentery
How to assess a patient with gastro-enteritis?
- Symptoms
- Duration
- Risks (Food poisoning, recent travel, contact)
- Assess hydration (Postural BP, skin turgor, pulse)
- Features of inflammation (Faecal leukocytes or lactoferrin/blood)
What electrolyte imbalances occur in diarrhoea?
Gross loss of sodium (80-100 mmol Na) leads to hyponatraemia
Gross loss of potassium (40-80 mmol/L in stools)
What investigations are there in diarrhoea?
- Stool culture
- Blood culture
- Renal function
- Blood count - Neutrophilia and haemolysis
- Abdominal X-ray, if abdomen distended, tender
Differential diagnosis within diarrhoea?
- Inflammatory bowel disease
- Spurious diarrhoea secondary to constipation
- Carcinoma
- Sepsis
If there is diarrhoea with absence of pain/tenderness, as well as no blood or mucus in the stools what should you consider?
Sepsis
How should you treat gastro-entertitis?
1st line = Rehydration, Iv saline versus oral rehydration solution (Salt/sugar)
2nd line = Abx
What is the incubation period of campylobacter?
7 days
What complications of campylobacter infection are there?
- Guillain-Barre Syndrome
- Reactive arthritis
Is there abdominal pain with campylobacter?
Yes severe