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 Guillain-Barré Syndrome (GBS) Guillain-Barré syndrome is a form of polyneuropathy causing muscle weakness, which usually worsens over a few days to weeks, then slowly improves or returns to normal on its own. With treatment... read more ) or arthritis may occur in the weeks after the infection is gone | Antibiotics given in the early stages of illness may shorten the duration of symptoms (for example, azithromycin or ciprofloxacin). | |
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 or fidaxomicin is given by mouth. Metronidazole may be given by mouth to people who cannot tolerate 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 | Antiparasitic medications are sometimes given (for example, nitazoxanide). | |
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 | Antiparasitic medications are given (for example, metronidazole or tinidazole then iodoquinol or paromomycin). | |
Enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli (most commonly E. coli O157:H7 E. coli Gastroenteritis E. coli gastroenteritis is a type of gastroenteritis in which certain strains of the bacterium Escherichia coli infect the large intestine and cause diarrhea and sometimes other... read more ) | 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 | Antibiotics are not given because they increase the risk of developing hemolytic-uremic syndrome Overview of Thrombocytopenia Thrombocytopenia is a low number of platelets (thrombocytes) in the blood, which increases the risk of bleeding. Thrombocytopenia occurs when the bone marrow makes too few platelets or when... read more . |
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 | Antibiotics (for example, ciprofloxacin or levofloxacin) may help shorten duration of illness. Azithromycin is given to children. | |
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 | Antiparasitic medications are given (for example, tinidazole, metronidazole, or nitazoxanide). | |
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 Dehydration in Children Dehydration is loss of water from the body, usually caused by vomiting and/or diarrhea. Dehydration occurs when there is significant loss of body water and, to varying amounts, electrolytes... read more 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 Dehydration in Children Dehydration is loss of water from the body, usually caused by vomiting and/or diarrhea. Dehydration occurs when there is significant loss of body water and, to varying amounts, electrolytes... read more 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. Antibiotics (for example, azithromycin and ceftriaxone) are given to people who are very young or very old, who have a weakened immune system, or who have a moderate to severe infection. | |
Staphylococcus aureus Overview of Gastroenteritis Gastroenteritis is inflammation of the lining of the stomach and small and large intestines. It is usually caused by infection with a microorganism but can also be caused by ingestion of chemical... read more (see also Staphylococcal Food Poisoning Staphylococcal Food Poisoning Staphylococcal food poisoning results from eating food contaminated with toxins produced by certain types of staphylococci, resulting in diarrhea and vomiting. This disorder can be caused by... read more ) 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 | Antibiotics are given (for example, ciprofloxacin or doxycycline). Vaccines are available for adults. | |
Other types of Vibrio | Shellfish | Watery diarrhea, often with little nausea or vomiting | Antibiotics are given (for example, ciprofloxacin or doxycycline). |
* 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. |