Gastroenteritis - some facts, not for those with a weak stomach !

Well for those who read my last post -- will know I was very sick with gastro!!!

I'm still not 100% and have just started a course of antibiotics to reduce the length of time I'm sick or contagious 


So I had shigella - a nasty bacterial little bugger and one of the worst types


After several days of going to the toilet about every two hours, vomiting, fevers, headaches, nasty stomach cramps, and lethargy, I'm now only going to the toilet a couple of times a day. I'm buggered, but happily I've lost 4 kg ! 
So there are a few things that can cause gastroenteritis 

Firstly gastroenteritis is a medical condition characterized by inflammation ("-itis") of the gastrointestinal tract that involves both the stomach ("gastro"-) and the small intestine("entero"-), resulting in some combination of diarrhea, vomiting, and abdominal

 pain and cramping.

(Wickpedia, 2013)

The various germs and parasites that cause gastro are found worldwide. It is estimated that gastro causes between 3-5 million deaths per year worldwide, most of which occur in developing countries.

There are many things that can cause gastroenteritis, including:

Viruses – such as norovirus, calicivirus, rotavirus, astrovirus and adenovirus. Rota virus was so prevalent in central Australia before the vaccine the very young and very old would sometimes die due to complications, usually severe dehydration. Anyone in the medical profession prior to the vaccination being developed would remember it well !

Bacteria – such as the Campylobacter bacterium, Shigella, and Campylobacter, E coli.is contracted by ingesting the bacteria in contaminated food or water, and by handling poultry or reptiles such as turtles that carry the germs.

• Campylobacter occurs by the consumption of raw or undercooked poultry meat and cross-contamination with other foods. Infants may acquire the infection by contact with poultry packages in shopping carts. Campylobacter is also associated with unpasteurized milk or contaminated water. The infection can be spread to humans by contact with infected stool of an ill pet (for example, cats or dogs). It is generally not passed from human to human.
• Shigella bacteria generally spreads from an infected person to another person. Shigella are present in diarrheal stools of infected individuals while they are ill, and for up to one to two weeks after contracting the infection. Shigella infection also may be contracted by eating contaminated food, drinking contaminated water, or swimming or playing in contaminated water (for example, wading pools, shallow play fountains)

Parasites – such as Entamoeba histolytica, Giardia lamblia and Cryptosporidium,
these little "worms" are usually ingested, usually via contaminated water.  Giardia for example is spread via cow poop, so Ive often seen Giardia infections in communities and on cattle stations where people go swimming in dams ect

Bacterial toxins – the bacteria themselves don’t cause illness, but their poisonous by-products can contaminate food. Some strains of staphylococcal bacteria produce toxins that can cause gastroenteritis

Chemicals – lead poisoning, for example, can trigger gastroenteritis

Medications – certain medications, such as antibiotics, can cause gastroenteritis in susceptible people. Chemotherapy can induce diarrhoea in some people as well

Radiation poisoning - Smaller doses of radiation poisoning can cause gastroenteritis, fortunately I've never sen this


Germs that cause gastro may be passed from person to person, as well as in contaminated food and water. Specific ways in which a person may become infected include:


• Kissing or other close personal contact.
• Coming into contact with an infected person's faeces (shit).
• Touching surfaces such as tap handles or items like toys which have been contaminated with germs from infected people who have not washed their hands after going to the toilet etc.
• Eating contaminated food. Food can become contaminated if a person does not wash their hands before handling food, or if safe food handling practices are not followed.
• Drinking contaminated water. Water supplies may contain germs from fecal pollution, or germs like Giardia Lamblia can be present naturally in untreated water sources.
• Inhaling germs released into the air by a sick person vomiting, coughing or sneezing.
• Failing to wash hands after handling pets or other animals.

In most cases it is difficult or impossible to determine how a person became ill.

Bacteria multiplying


Sources
Wikepedia, 2013
Better Health Channel, 2013
emedicine, 2013
my personal experiences and knowledge