Bacterial gastroenteritis is inflammation of the stomach and intestines caused by bacteria. Common symptoms include diarrhea, abdominal cramps, nausea and vomiting. Doctors diagnose it by examining patients for dehydration and testing stool samples. Treatment focuses on rehydration. Most cases resolve in a few days without antibiotics. It often occurs from eating contaminated food from improper handling or storage. Proper hygiene and food safety can help prevent bacterial gastroenteritis.

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Fitango Education
Health Topics
Bacterial Gastroenteritis

2. 1
Overview
Bacterial gastroenteritis is inflammation of the
stomach and intestines caused by bacteria.

3. 2
Symptoms
Symptoms depend on the type of bacteria that
caused the sickness. All types of food poisoning
cause diarrhea.
Other symptoms include:
-- Abdominal cramps

4. 3
Symptoms
-- Abdominal pain
-- Bloody stools
-- Loss of appetite
-- Nausea and
vomiting

5. 4
Diagnoses
Your health care provider will examine you
for signs of food poisoning, such as pain in the
stomach and signs your body
does not have as much water and fluids as it
should. This is called dehydration.

6. 5
Diagnoses
Laboratory tests may be done on the food or a
stool sample to determine what germ is causing
your symptoms. However, these
tests do not always show the cause of the
diarrhea.
Tests may also be done to look for white

7. 6
Diagnoses
blood cells in the stool, a sign of infection.

8. 7
Treatment
You will usually recover from the most common
types of bacterial gastroenteritis in a couple of
days. The goal is to make you
feel better and avoid dehydration.

9. 8
Treatment
Drinking enough fluids and learning what to
eat will help keep you or your child comfortable.
You may need to:
-- Manage the diarrhea
-- Control nausea and vomiting
-- Get plenty of

10. 9
Treatment
rest
If you have diarrhea and are unable to drink
or keep down fluids because of nausea or
vomiting, you may need fluids
through a vein (IV). This is especially true for young
children.

11. 10
Treatment
If you take diuretics ("water
pills"), talk to your health care provider. You may
need to stop taking
the diuretic while you have diarrhea. Never stop or
change medications without
first talking to your health care provider.

12. 11
Treatment
Antibiotics are usually not prescribed for
most common types of bacterial gastroenteritis,
unless the diarrhea is very
severe.
You can buy medicines at the drugstore that
can help stop or slow diarrhea.

13. 12
Treatment
-- Do not use these
medicines without talking to your health care
provider if you have bloody
diarrhea, a fever, or the diarrhea is severe.
-- Do not give these
medicines to children.

14. 13
Causes
Bacterial gastroenteritis can affect one
person or a group of people who all ate the
same food. It more commonly
occurs after eating at picnics, school cafeterias,
large social functions, or

15. 14
Causes
restaurants.
The germs may get into your food (called
contamination) in different ways:
-- Meat or poultry
may come into contact with bacteria from the
intestines of an animal being

16. 15
Causes
processed
-- Water that is
used during growing or shipping may contain
animal or human waste
-- Improper food
handling or preparation in grocery stores,
restaurants, or homes

17. 16
Causes
Food poisoning often occurs from eating or
drinking:
-- Any food prepared
by someone who did not wash their hands
properly
-- Any food prepared

18. 17
Causes
using unclean cooking utensils, cutting boards, or
other tools
-- Dairy products or
food containing mayonnaise (such as coleslaw or
potato salad) that have been
out of the refrigerator too long

19. 18
Causes
-- Frozen or
refrigerated foods that are not stored at the proper
temperature or are not
reheated properly
-- Raw fish or
oysters

20. 19
Causes
-- Raw fruits or
vegetables that have not been washed well
-- Raw vegetable or
fruit juices and dairy products (look for the word
"pasteurized" to
make sure the food is safe to eat or drink)

21. 20
Causes
-- Undercooked meats
or eggs
-- Water from a well
or stream, or city or town water that has not been
treated
Many different types of bacteria can cause

22. 21
Causes
bacterial gastroenteritis, including:
-- Campylobacter
jejuni (see: Campylobacter enteritis)
-- E. coli (see: E. coli enteritis)
-- Salmonella (see: Salmonella enteritis)

23. 22
Causes
-- Shigella (see: Shigella enteritis)
-- Staphylococcus
-- Yersinia
You should be better in a few days without
treatment.

24. 23
Causes
Certain rare types of E. coli can
cause severe anemia or
even kidney failure.
Call for an appointment with your health care
provider if you have:

25. 24
Causes
-- Blood or pus in
your stools, or your stool is black
-- Diarrhea with a
fever above 101°F (100.4°F in children)
-- Recently traveled

26. 25
Causes
to a foreign country and developed diarrhea
-- Stomach pain that
does not go away after a bowel movement
-- Symptoms of
dehydration (thirst, dizziness, light-headedness)

27. 26
Causes
Also call your doctor if:
-- The diarrhea gets
worse or does not get better in 2 days for an infant
or child, or 5 days for
adults
-- A child over 3

28. 27
Causes
months old has been vomiting for more than 12
hours; in younger babies, call as
soon as vomiting or diarrhea begins

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Prevention
See: Preventing food poisoning