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Infectious Gastroenteritis

diarrhea with fever

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Introduction to Clinical Infectious Diseases

Abstract

Acute gastroenteritis (AGE) is an illness caused by viral, bacterial, or parasitic infection of the intestinal tract. Illness is most common among children, but patients of all ages are affected to some degree. With the use of new diagnostics, there is increasing recognition of a widening array of enteric pathogens associated with acute gastroenteritis. The etiology of AGE varies with geographic location, time of year, and the population studied. Many enteric pathogens are easily transmitted through food or water or from one person to another, and some can be devastating to individuals with compromised immune systems. Adequate fluid and electrolyte replacement and maintenance followed by early refeeding are the key to effective management. A complete clinical and epidemiologic evaluation in addition to assessment of possible exposures and whether the patient is immunocompromised will direct the performance of diagnostic studies and the administration of antimicrobial therapy. Important measures to prevent spread of enteric pathogens include proper sanitation methods for food processing and preparation, sanitary water supplies, pasteurization of milk, proper hand hygiene, sanitary sewage disposal, exclusion of infected people from handling food or providing health care, and exclusion of people with gastroenteritis from use of public recreational water.

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Recommended Additional Reading and Other Available Resources Including Clinical Practice Guidelines Grouped by Subtopic

    Management of AGE

    • Shane AL, Mody RK, Crump JA, Tarr PI, Steiner TS, Kotloff K, Langley JM, Wanke C, Warren CA, Cheng AC, Cantey J, Pickering LK. 2017 Infectious Diseases Society of America Clinical Practice Guidelines for the diagnosis and management of infectious diarrhea. Clinical Infect Dis. 2017;65(12):e45–80. https://doi.org/10.1093/cid/cix669.

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    Use of Ondansetron for Infectious Gastroenteritis

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    Authors and Affiliations

    1. Division of Pediatric Infectious Diseases, Rhode Island Hospital, Alpert Medical School of Brown University, Providence, RI, USA

      Penelope H. Dennehy

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    1. Penelope H. Dennehy
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    Correspondence to Penelope H. Dennehy .

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    1. SUNY Upstate Medical University, Syracuse, NY, USA

      Joseph Domachowske

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    Dennehy, P.H. (2019). Infectious Gastroenteritis. In: Domachowske, J. (eds) Introduction to Clinical Infectious Diseases. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-91080-2_15

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    • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-91080-2_15

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