Brainscape's Knowledge GenomeTM


Top Flashcards (Certified)
All Flashcards

Year 3: Block 1: Infection > Infectious diarrhoea > Flashcards

Infectious diarrhoea Flashcards

1
Q

What is gastro-enteritis?

accompanying features?

A

three or more loose stools/day

fever, vomiting, blood or mucus in stool, abdominal pain

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
2
Q

What is dysentery?

A

large bowel inflammation, bloody stools

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
3
Q

Epidemiology of gastro-enteritis

A

food poisoning organisms
poor storage procedure
travel related infections (salmonella)
person to person spread - norovirus

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
4
Q

most common cause of intestinal disorders?

A

viruses - campylobacter

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
5
Q

What pathogen causes the most hospital admissions for intestinal disturbances?

A

salmonella

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
6
Q

Campylobacter is the most common ?

A

foodborne pathogen

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
7
Q

Defences against enteric infection?

A

HYGEINE
stomach acidity - antacids and infection
normal gut flora - c.diff diarrhoea
immunity - HIV, salmonella

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
8
Q

those on antacids?

A

no protection rom normal gastric acid, more at risk

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
9
Q

Clinical features of diarrhoeal illness? (3) - give examples

A

Non-inflammatory/secretory - CHOLERA
Inflammatory.- SHIGELLA DYSENTRY
Mixed picture - TOXINS - c.diff

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
10
Q

Features of Non-inflammatory diarrhoea?

A

frequent watery stools and little abdo pain, secretory toxin-mediated

  • cholera - increases cAMP levels and Cl secretion
    enterotoxigenic E. coli (travellers’ diarrhoea)
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
11
Q

Non-inflammatory diarrhoea treatment ?

A

rehydration

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
12
Q

Mechanism of diarrhoea in cholera?

A

Increased cAMP results
in loss of Cl from cells
along with Na and K

Osmotic effect leads to
massive loss of water from
the gut

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
13
Q

Features of inflammatory diarrhoeal illness?

treatment?

A

frequent fluid stools, pain, fever
bacterial infection, amoebic dysentery

antimicrobials, rehydration

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
14
Q

Assessing the patient

A

history - Symptoms and their duration
risk of food poisoning - travel history
asses hydration - postural BP, skin turgor, pulse
features of inflammation (SIRS) - FEVER , raised WBC

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
15
Q

Assessing an infant?

A 
sunken eyes and cheeks
decreased skin turgor
sunken fontelle
few or no tears
dry mouth or tongue
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
16
Q

Fluid and electrolyte losses - when can this be severe?

what can you get? (2)

A

secretory diarrhoea

  • Hyponatraemia due to sodium loss with fluid replacement by hypotonic solutions
  • Hypokalaemia due to K loss in stool (40-80mmol/l of K in stools)
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
17
Q

Assessing the patient - investigations

A
  • stool culture +/- molecular or Ag testing
  • blood culture
  • renal function
  • blood count - neutrophilia , haemolysis
  • abdo x-ray
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
18
Q

Differential diagnosis of gastroenteritis? (3)

A

Inflammatory bowel disease
Spurious diarrhoea -secondary to constipation
Carcinoma

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
19
Q

Diarrhoea and fever can occur with ?

A

sepsis outside the gut

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
20
Q

Treatment of gastro-enteritis?

A

rehydration - iv or oral (community)

  • Oral rehydration with salt/sugar solution
  • iv saline
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
21
Q

Campylobacter gastroenteritis features ? (3-4)

A
  • can have longer incubation > 7 days
  • Stools negative within 6 weeks
  • abdominal pain can be severe
  • uncommon to be invasive
  • Post-infection sequelae - Guillain-Barre syndrome, Reactive arthritis
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
22
Q

Salmonella gastroenteritis features?

A
  • symptom onset usually <48 hrs after exposure
  • diarrhoea usually lasts <10 days
  • <5% positive blood cultures

abscesses other places in body, Osteomyelitis
post infection - IB is common

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
23
Q

Prolonged Salmonella gastroenteritis may be associated with?

A

gallstones

24
Q

Routine Bacterial CultureCampylobacter - species that cause most infections?
isolated or outbreaks?

A

Two species cause most infections:
C. jejuni (90%)
C. coli (9%)

isolated

25
Routine Bacterial CultureSalmonella - the 2 species?
S.enterica and S.bongori
26
Most Common Salmonella Infections in UK?
Salmonella enteritidis and Salmonella typhimurium | often from abroad
27
What do – S. typhi and S. paratyphi cause?
enteric fever (typhoid and paratyphoid) and not gastro-enteritis
28
E.coli is an?
Infection. e.g. contaminated meat or person-to-person spread (low incoulum)
29
E.coli is characterised by
frequent bloody stools fever seizures lethargy
30
What does E.coli O157 produce?
SHIGA TOXIN (same toxin also produced by Shigella spp) (previously called verocyto- toxin)
31
Difference between E.coli and the toxin?
E.coli stays in gut, toxin gets into the blood
32
When the E.coli toxin gets into the blood, what can happen?
hemolytic-uraemic (HUS) syndrome (haemolytic anaemia and renal failure)
33
What is hemolytic-uraemic (HUS) syndrome characterised by?
renal failure, haemolytic anaemia and thrombocytopenia.
34
E.coli patients need?
renal support
35
E.coli treatment - avoid ?
antibiotics
36
Toxin stimulates platelet activation which causes?
micro-angiopathy
37
What are the 4 species of Shigella
S. sonnei, S.flexneri, S.boydii, S. dysenteriae) – outbreaks of Shigella sonnei in children’s nurseries
38
several other forms of E. coli cause diarrhoea - name some
enteroinvasive enteropathogenic enterotoxic (traveller’s diarrhoea
39
Occasional causes of food poisoning outbreaks (3)
``` Staph aureus (toxin) Bacillus cereus (re-fried rice) Clostridium perfringens (undercooked meat/cooked food left out - toxin accumulates in spore formation) ```
40
When should I give antibiotics? Campylobacterdrugs salmonella drugs
main therapy - rehydration - immunocompromised, positive blood cultures severe sepsis or invasive infection chronic illness e.g. malignancy ``` C = macrolines, clarithromycin S = ciprafloxin ```
41
When are antibiotics not indicated?
healthy patient with non-invasive infection
42
What does C.diff produce?
enterotoxin (A) and cytotoxin (B) (inflammatory)
43
Treatment of C.diff
``` metronidazole oral vancomycin - remains in gut Fidaxomicin (new and expensive) Stool transplants surgery may be required ```
44
In C.diff - a patient will often give a history of?
previous antibiotic treatment – the “4 C antibiotics”
45
C.diff ranges from
mild diarrhoea to severe colitis
46
CDI – prevention (5)
- Reduction in broad spectrum antibiotic prescribing - Avoid 4 Cs – cephalosporins, co-amoxiclav, clindamycin, ciprofloxacin - Antimicrobial Management Team (AMT) and local antibiotic policy - Isolate symptomatic patients - Wash hands between patients
47
CDI - Management | What are severity markers? (4)
Stop precipitating antibiotic (if possible) - oral metronidazole if no severity markers WCC>15 raised temp >38.5 acute rising creatinine suspicion of toxic megacolon/colitis
48
Parasitology - request lab?
stools looked at under the microscope | parasites, cysts and ova please” or P, C and O
49
Uk parasites -protozoa 1 what is it called? what 2 forms? symptoms? transmitted by? Treat with?
- Giardia duodenalis - cyst form - trophozoites - diarrhoea, gas, malabsorption, failure to thrive, watery diarrhoea - direct contact with cattle/cats/dogs/other people food/water contaminated with faeces with metronidazole
50
Trophozoites can be seen on
or string test
51
UK parasites - protozoa 2 symptoms? exists in what 2 forms? treatment?
Cryptosporidium parvum cryptosoridosis - watery Diarrhoea, nausea and vomiting, abdo pain oocysts , trophozoites rehydration
52
Imported parasites - Entamoeba histolytica causes? long term complication? treatment? would do antibody detection for?
``` amoebic dysentery (instestinal amoebiasis) cyst and trophozoite forms ``` amoebic liver abscess - when aspirated - brown colour, anchovy pus metronidazole to remove cysts- further treatment - invasive disease
53
Viral Diarrhoea: Rotavirus, Norovirus, Adenovirus
Rotavirus - most common in children under 5 - vaccine at 8 and 12 weeks
54
What strains of adenovirus cause diarrhoea?
40 and 41
55
Viral Diarrhoea: Norovirus is also known as | type of virus?
Winter vomiting disease – diarrhoea and vomiting - small round structured viruses (SRSV)
56
Diagnosis of Norovirus?
PCR | very infectious -18 virus particles (1g stool=5 billion infectious doses

Year 3: Block 1: Infection (14 decks)

Brainscape helps you reach your goals faster, through stronger study habits.
© 2025 Bold Learning Solutions. Terms and Conditions