Microorganisms That Cause Gastroenteritis
Microorganism | Common Sources | Symptoms | Antibiotic/Antiviral Medication Use |
|---|---|---|---|
Astrovirus | Fecal-oral transmission* | Milder watery diarrhea Vomiting and fever Symptoms begin 3 to 4 days after infection Usually lasts 2 to 7 days Similar to rotavirus | Antibiotics and antiviral medications are not given. |
Eating contaminated meat (especially undercooked poultry) Drinking contaminated water or unpasteurized milk Occasionally transmitted by dogs or cats with diarrhea | Watery and sometimes bloody diarrhea Usually lasts about 1 week Temporary paralysis (Guillain-Barre syndrome) or arthritis may occur in the weeks after the infection is gone | ||
Clostridioides difficile (C. diff) | Usually due to bacterial overgrowth of C. difficile in people who have been taking antibiotics | Diarrhea ranging from slightly loose stools to bloody diarrhea Typically begins 5 to 10 days after starting antibiotics but may occur on the first day or up to 2 months later | Antibiotic that caused the illness is stopped. vancomycin and fidaxomicin. |
Drinking contaminated water or eating contaminated food Person-to-person contact Recreational water exposure People with impaired immune systems are particularly susceptible | Watery diarrhea and sometimes crampy abdominal pain, nausea, fatigue, and vomiting Usually lasts 1 to 2 weeks | ||
Eating or drinking contaminated food or water Oral-anal sex with an infected partner | Sometimes bloody diarrhea, cramping abdominal pain, weight loss, and fever lasting 1 to 3 weeks Can cause infection in liver and other organs | ||
Enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli (most commonly E. coli O157:H7) | Eating contaminated foods that have not been prepared properly, such as undercooked ground beef, unpasteurized milk or juice, or untreated water Swimming in contaminated pools, lakes, or water parks Person-to-person contact Touching infected animals and then putting fingers in the mouth | Sudden abdominal cramps, watery diarrhea that usually becomes bloody within 1 to 3 days Hemolytic-uremic syndrome, a serious complication, can occur | Antibiotics are not given because they increase the risk of developing hemolytic-uremic syndrome. |
Enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (causes traveler’s diarrhea) | Eating or drinking contaminated food or water | Frequent watery diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, abdominal cramps Symptoms begin 12 to 72 hours after ingesting contaminated food or water Usually lasts 3 to 5 days | |
Drinking or eating contaminated water or food Person-to-person contact, particularly in day care centers | Watery diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, and loss of appetite Symptoms appear 1 to 14 days (average 7 days) after infection More long-term illness (lasting several days to several weeks) may occur, with foul-smelling stools, abdominal bloating, gas, fatigue, and weight loss | ||
Intestinal (enteric) adenovirus | Fecal-oral transmission* Respiratory droplets | Frequent watery diarrhea lasts 1 to 2 weeks Mild vomiting begins 1 to 2 days after diarrhea starts Fever affects 50% of people Symptoms begin 3 to 10 days after infection Usually lasts 10 days or more | Antibiotics and antiviral medications are not given. |
Eating or drinking contaminated food or water Can spread easily from person to person via fecal-oral transmission* | Frequent watery diarrhea, especially in adults Vomiting, especially in children Stomach cramps, fever, headache, and aches and pains Symptoms begin 1 to 2 days after infection Usually lasts 1 to 3 days | Antibiotics and antiviral medications are not given. | |
Fecal-oral transmission* | Frequent watery diarrhea In children, diarrhea can cause severe dehydration and even death Vomiting Fever higher than 102° F (about 39°C) Symptoms begin 1 to 3 days after infection May last 5 to 7 days in infants and young children | Antibiotics and antiviral medications are not given. | |
Eating contaminated food Contact with reptiles (for instance, iguanas, snakes, and turtles), birds, or amphibians (for instance, frogs and salamanders) | High fever, exhaustion, abdominal cramps, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea that may or may not be bloody Symptoms usually last 1 to 4 days | Antibiotics usually are not given. | |
Person-to-person contact, especially in day care centers | May be mild or severe In mild cases, low fever, watery diarrhea In severe cases, high fever, exhaustion, severe abdominal cramps, painful passage of stool containing blood and mucus In children, diarrhea can cause severe dehydration and even death In adults, symptoms usually last about 4 to 8 days in mild cases and to 3 to 6 weeks in severe cases without treatment In most children, symptoms resolve by the 2nd week | Antibiotics are not routinely required for healthy adults with mild infection. | |
Staphylococcus aureus (see also Staphylococcal Food Poisoning) Bacillus cereus | Eating food contaminated by toxins produced by bacteria | Severe nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea Symptoms begin 30 minutes to 8 hours after eating contaminated food and lessen within 24 hours | Antibiotics are not given. |
Eating or drinking contaminated food or water | Painless, watery diarrhea and vomiting Can lead to massive fluid loss and shock | Vaccines are available for adults. | |
Other types of Vibrio | Shellfish | Watery diarrhea, often with little nausea or vomiting | |
* Fecal-oral transmission involves infection that occurs after people touch their mouth after touching an object (such as a diaper or toy) contaminated by infected stool. | |||