What is the route of infection in case of gastroenteritis?
The most common route of infection in the case of gastro-enteritis is via bacteria from the bowel movement, which are reabsorbed into the mouth through a so-called smear infection. This means, for example, that a person who has not cleaned his or her hands sufficiently after defecation touches another person’s food and thus transfers the bacteria to it. Contaminations of the hands are not visible to the naked eye and are therefore quickly overlooked.
For this reason, in cases of illness in the family or in a household, special attention should always be paid to hygiene. For example, a hand disinfectant can be used in addition to hand washing. Special attention must also be paid to cleanliness when changing diapers for sick children.
Other types of bacteria, such as salmonella, are found in contaminated food or food that has been stored for too long. They are absorbed when food is eaten and can cause discomfort even in small quantities. In addition, some viruses, because they are much smaller than bacteria, can spread through droplets in the air. These can be caused by very strong vomiting and infect people who come into contact with them.
Diagnosis
The diagnosis of gastro-enteritis is usually made quite simply on the basis of the symptoms. Which pathogen causes the inflammation is usually irrelevant, since in most cases they all heal within a few days. Only if the diarrhea and the symptoms persist, the specific pathogen is filtered out of a stool sample and determined, so that a special therapy can be initiated after all.
Experienced doctors and nurses can identify some of the pathogens by the color, consistency and smell of the stool and therefore request a stool sample for visualization. The stool can also be examined for bacteria in the laboratory. The extent of fluid loss can be determined very well by examining the mucous membranes in the eyes or mouth.
The extent of the salt loss can be estimated by a standard blood test. The symptoms of norovirus appear very quickly after infection. It can be recognized by the sudden onset of gushing vomiting accompanied by highly fluid diarrhea.
These symptoms are accompanied by nausea and pain during bowel movements. In addition, there is general fatigue, muscle pain and headaches, but often no high fever occurs. The symptoms persist for 1-2 days and then disappear as quickly as they came.
Children and infants are often infected with rotavirus. Here too, the symptoms appear very suddenly. Watery diarrhea, which may also contain mucus, is the main symptom.
In addition, vomiting, fever and abdominal pain occur. It should be noted that a lot of water is lost through diarrhoea and vomiting, which should be replaced by increased drinking, especially in children.In addition, the rotavirus can be recognized by the fact that it is also associated with respiratory problems. The symptoms usually subside after 2-6 days.
The difference between gastroenteritis and food poisoning is what triggers the symptoms. In the case of gastro-enteritis, for example, bacteria are absorbed through food, which infect the gastro-intestinal tract and make it sick. They multiply and produce, among other things, toxins that promote diarrhoea and attack the mucous membrane.
In contrast, in food poisoning, the bacteria themselves are not absorbed. Food poisoning occurs when food contaminated with toxins is ingested. These toxins may have been produced by bacteria, for example. For example, there are harmful substances in the gastrointestinal tract that can cause discomfort, but they are not produced again. If they are excreted by the body, the symptoms usually improve very quickly.
