Unit 16 - GI Tract Infections Flashcards
What can diarrhea be caused by?
E. coli Salmonella Campylobacter Vibrio Shigella Listeria Rotavirus
What is the difference between true food poisoning and food-associated infections?
True food poisoning:
- Fast rxn
- Ingestion of pre-formed toxin
- Toxins survive cooking/heating
Food-associated infections:
- Slow rxn
- Food acts as a vehicle for the pathogen
Give two examples of food associated infection causes
campylobacter
salmonella
What are the 3 ways that GI infections can cause disease?
1) Fluid balance
- Change balance of water and electrolytes in small bowel - massive fluid secretion
2) Cell destruction & inflammation
- Invasion and/or cytotoxin production
3) Invasion
- Penetrate intestinal mucosa - spread and multiply outside the bowel
List some points about diarrhea
- Increase in fluid and electrolyte loss in gut lumen (causes unformed or liquid feces)
- Allows host to get rid of the pathogen
- Allows pathogen to disseminate
How does diarrhea affect people in resource-poor regions vs people in resource-rich regions?
Resource-poor regions:
-Major cause of mortality in children
Resource-rich regions:
-Usually mild and self-limiting, except very young, elderly and immunocompromised
Diarrhea:
Is the identity of the pathogen usually determined?
No
- Generally identity of the pathogen not determined
- Difficult to distinguish based on symptoms
Diarrhea:
What is very important to ask about when a patient has diarrhea?
- Food intake
- Travel
Diarrhea:
Macroscopic and microscopic examination of feces for ___ and ___
blood and pus
Diarrhea:
Precise diagnosis important in ______
outbreaks
List the 6 different groups of E. coli with different pathogenic mechanism
EPEC - Enteropathogenic E. coli ETEC - Enterotoxigenic E. coli EHEC - Entertohaemorrhagic E. coli EIEC - Enteroinvasive E. coli EAEC - Enteroaggregative E. coli DAEC - Diffuse - aggregative E. coli
Enteropathogenic E. coli (EPEC):
Affects who?
babies and young children
Enteropathogenic E. coli (EPEC):
What virulence factors does it have?
adhesions, bundle-forming pili and intimin
-allows for attachment to epithelial cells and microfilms
Enterotoxigenic E. coli (ETEC):
Affects who?
Children
Enterotoxigenic E. coli (ETEC):
Where does it bind to?
Binds to receptors on cell membrane of small intestine
Enterotoxigenic E. coli (ETEC): List the 2 plasmid-encoded toxins
1) Heat labile (LT) toxin
2) Heat stabile (ST) toxin
Enterotoxigenic E. coli (ETEC):
Describe the Heat labile (LT) toxin
similar mode of action as cholera toxin
Enterotoxigenic E. coli (ETEC):
Describe the Heat stable (ST) toxin
- increases guanylate cyclase activity
- increases cGMP
- increases fluid secretion
Enterohaemorrhagic E. coli (EHEC):
List the 2 key points about this type of E. coli
Invasive
Makes Toxin
Enterohaemorrhagic E. coli (EHEC):
Describe the two toxins
Verotoxin 1 and 2 (VTEC)
AKA Shiga Like Toxin
SLT-1 and SLT-2
Enterohaemorrhagic E. coli (EHEC):
What do the two toxins do and cause?
- Toxins damage large intestine
- Inhibit protein synthesis
- Cause ulceration and bleeding
Enterohaemorrhagic E. coli (EHEC):
Important serotype
Serotype O157:H7
Enterohaemorrhagic E. coli (EHEC):
What 2 things can EHEC cause?
HC - Hemorrhagic colitis
HUS - Hemolytic ureic syndrome
Enterohaemorrhagic E. coli (EHEC):
What is HC (hemorrhagic colitis)?
destruction of mucosa leads to hemorrhage and causes bloody diarrhea
Enterohaemorrhagic E. coli (EHEC):
What is HUS (hemolytic ureic syndrome)?
- toxin gets into bloodstream
- verotoxin receptors found on renal epithelium - may account for kidney damage
**KEY POINT THAT EHEC CAN CAUSE KIDNEY DAMAGE
Enterohaemorrhagic E. coli (EHEC):
Symptoms?
- Anemia (fatigue, weakness, light-headedness) due to destruction of RBC
- Low platelet count and sudden kidney damage
**AGAIN KEY POINT THAT A SYMPTOM OF EHEC IS KIDNEY DAMAGE
Enteroinvasive E. coli (EIEC):
Describe it’s mechanism of action
- attaches to mucosa of large intestine
- invade cells by endocytosis
- multiply
- spread to adjacent cells
- tissue destruction
- inflammation and ulceration
- ulceration can result in blood and mucus in stool
Enteroaggregative E. coli (EAEC):
Has a _____ ____ appearance on tissue culture cells
stacked brick
Enteroaggregative E. coli (EAEC):
How does it aggregate?
plasmid-encoded fimbria
Enteroaggregative E. coli (EAEC):
Toxins produced but role in diarrheal disease _____
uncertain
Diffuse-aggregative E. coli (DAEC):
list one thing bout it
alpha-hemolysin and cytotoxic necrotizing factor 1
How do we diagnose E. coli?
There are specific tests to ID strains
What do we look for to determine that its EHEC?
shiga toxin genes
What do we look for to determine that its EIEC?
invasion of tissue culture cells or the presence of invasion associated genes
What is the treatment for E. coli diarrhea?
- Fluid replacement
- Antibacterial therapy not indicated
Why aren’t antidiarrheal medications recommended?
They increase the contact time of pathogen with intestinal wall which increase the severity of disease.
____: Requires urgent treatment and may need dialysis
HUS (hemolytic uremic syndrome)