Intestinal Infection: What It Is, Symptoms, and Pathogens

At the height of summer, warm water, poorly washed greens, and minced meat become the favorite breeding grounds of the pathogens that cause intestinal infections — a group of contagious diseases that includes more than 30 types. This family is diverse: from the least dangerous food poisoning to cholera, typhoid fever, botulism, salmonellosis, and dysentery. Let's look at how to distinguish an ordinary upset stomach from a condition that requires a doctor.

What Is an Intestinal Infection

Intestinal infections are a group of contagious diseases that primarily affect the digestive tract. The picture depends on which part is affected: acute gastritis causes vomiting and pain below the breastbone, enteritis causes diarrhea, gastroenteritis causes vomiting together with diarrhea, colitis causes blood in the stool and abnormal bowel movements, and enterocolitis affects the entire intestine. These manifestations are caused by the microbes themselves and the toxins they release.

Pathogens and Routes of Infection

The culprits are bacteria (the pathogens of typhoid fever, cholera, and salmonellosis), their toxins, as in botulism, as well as viruses, including rotavirus and enterovirus. From a sick person or carrier, the microbes are shed with stool, vomit, and sometimes urine. They enter the body in the following ways:

• with food and water contaminated with microbes;
• through dishes, cutlery, and other household items;
• from person to person through close contact;
• because of unwashed hands.

The pathogens are hardy: they persist for a long time in soil and water, on door handles and cutlery, survive cold, and thrive in warmth and moisture, multiplying quickly in dairy products, minced meat, aspic, and summer water. Symptoms most often appear 4–48 hours after contact with the virus; the asymptomatic incubation period of intestinal infections in most cases lasts 6–48 hours.

Symptoms of Intestinal Infection in Adults

The onset often resembles a cold: weakness, lethargy, decreased appetite, headache, and rising temperature. Then come nausea, cramping abdominal pain, diarrhea — sometimes with mucus, pus, or blood, thirst, and chills. Viral gastroenteritis, commonly called stomach flu, manifests as abdominal pain, diarrhea, nausea and vomiting, as well as chills, sweating, fever, muscle aches, and weight loss. Norovirus is cited as the most common cause of diarrhea in adults: it causes outbreaks in hospitals and on cruise ships.

Intestinal Infection in Children: Specific Features

In children, the leading cause of gastroenteritis is rotavirus; it also infects adults caring for a sick child and residents of nursing homes. In addition, astrovirus and enteric adenovirus are cited. The greatest risk of severe course is in young children, the elderly, and people with weakened immunity. A small child cannot describe how they feel, so pay attention to behavior: refusal of the breast or bottle, fewer wet diapers, absence of tears when crying, sunken fontanelle, sunken eyes.

Complications and Dehydration

Dehydration is the most dangerous: salts and minerals are lost along with fluid. Its signs are clear — dry or sticky mouth, lethargy up to drowsiness, low blood pressure, little or no urine, dark concentrated urine, no tears, sunken eyes. Rapid fluid loss threatens kidney failure and dehydration shock. In adults and children, diarrhea usually resolves within 5–7 days, and vomiting within 1–2 days; prolonged duration requires medical evaluation.

Diagnosis and When to See a Doctor Urgently

Intestinal infection is distinguished from non-microbial food poisoning, acute appendicitis, myocardial infarction, pneumonia, and ectopic pregnancy. The doctor examines the patient, looks for signs of dehydration, and if necessary orders a bacteriological test of stool or vomit, stool culture for bacteria, and serological tests; the viral nature is confirmed by testing a stool sample, although this is usually not required. You should see a doctor if diarrhea lasts longer than 7 days, vomiting longer than 2 days, there is blood in the stool, confusion, dizziness, dry mouth, or a pre-syncopal state appear, or no urine has been passed for 8 hours or more; in a child under 5 years — signs of dehydration, fewer wet diapers, refusal of the breast or bottle.

An intestinal infection by itself is not a reason to call an ambulance; 103 or 112 — for vomiting with blood or coffee-ground material, green vomit in an adult, yellow-green vomit in a child, suspected ingestion of a poisonous substance, neck stiffness with pain when looking at light, sudden severe headache or abdominal pain, bluish, gray, or mottled skin, lips, or tongue, severe difficulty breathing, or confusion.

This text is for reference and does not replace a doctor's consultation: the final word remains with the specialist.

This content is for reference and does not replace a doctor's consultation. Medical disclaimer