Exam 3 (Intro to Clinical Micro and Digestive System Infections)

Clinical microbiology

branch of microbiology concerned with the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of infectious diseases

Sign vs symptom

sign can be measured, symptom can be described (heart rate vs nausea)

Things used to diagnose an infectious disease

signs and symptoms, lab results, history

Categories of infection

digestive system, skin and eye, urogenital system, circulatory and lymphatic system, nervous system, respiratory system

Traveler's Diarrhea is caused by

Enterotoxigenic E. coli (ETEC) infecting the GI tract, very common in developing countries, especially in children, usually self-limiting and rarely lethal (though antibiotics can be used to expedite recovery)

Traveler's Diarrhea symptoms

watery mild diarrhea, low fever, and cramps

Enteropathogenic E. coli (EPEC) causes

high fever, vomiting, severe diarrhea which can result in fatal dehydration, no specific name of disease caused by EPEC but overall causes a more virulent infection than ETEC, most common in children in developing countries, can be transmitted through food or water, usually self-limiting

Enterohemorrhagic E. coli (EHEC) causes

the disease hemorrhagic colitis, the most severe infections of E. coli subtypes

Enterohemorrhagic E. coli symptoms

EHEC produces a Shiga toxin, leading to severe damage to the intestinal walls, severe abdominal pain, bloody diarrhea, possibly low-grade fever if any at all

Klebsiella enteritis is caused by

Klebsiella pneumoniae

Klebsiella enteritis

inflammation of the GI tract caused by Klebsiella

Klebsiella enteritis is transmitted through

contaminated food, occurring in both developed and underdeveloped countries

Klebsiella enteritis symptoms

fever, abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, watery diarrhea and cramps, can be caused by many different pathogens

Klebsiella enteritis treatment

usually self-limiting but can be treated with antibiotics should it persist or become serious

Shigellosis is caused by

gram-negative rod-shaped shigella

Shigellosis

disease resulting from bacterial toxins of shigella

Shigellosis symptoms

diarrhea (sometimes bloody), fever, vomiting, abdominal pain, and feeling the need to pass stools even when the bowels are empty

Shigellosis is transmitted through

contaminated vegetables and dairy products, and is present in the US

Cholera is caused by

gram-negative rod bacterium Vibrio cholerae

Cholera symptoms

nausea, vomiting, muscle cramps, low blood pressure, and severe diarrhea

Cholera is transmitted through

water, but can be transmitted through food, accounts for most large-scale outbreaks among gastrointestinal diseases, majority of infections are in developing countries

Cholera treatment

antibiotics targeting gram negative bacteria

Clostridium difficile infection is caused by

gram-positive, spore-forming rod bacterium c. diff

C. diff infection symptoms

colitis and intestinal plaque formation, diarrhea, fever, and severe abdominal pain

C. diff infection

infections tend to be recurrent, when the normal microbiota is disrupted by antibiotic use, it can allow the overgrowth of this bacterium, resulting in 'antibiotic-associated diarrhea', which is usually the first sign of a C. diff infection, prevalent in the United States

C. diff treatment

stop current antibiotic use for short period then start Vancomycin

Staphylococcal Food Poisoning is caused by

gram-positive bacterium staphylococcus aureus

Staphylococcal Food Poisoning symptoms

nausea, diarrhea, cramping, and vomiting within one to six hours, caused by toxins

Staphylococcal Food Poisoning treatment

no treatments and the disease is relatively short-lived

Staphylococcal Food Poisoning

does not result from a true infection (S. aureus does not colonize your GI tract)

Staphylococcal Food Poisoning is transmitted through

food, can be contracted even from thoroughly cooked foods because the toxins are mostly heat resistant, prevalent throughout the world, including the US, primary risk factor is improper storage and handling of food