dysentery
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What is dysentery?
Dysentery is an infectious disease marked by intestinal inflammation, abdominal pain, and diarrhea, with stools often containing blood and mucus. It is especially dangerous for young children in less-developed countries. The two main types are bacillary dysentery, caused by bacteria, and amebic dysentery, caused by amoebas.
Bacillary dysentery, or shigellosis, results from bacilli of the genus Shigella. The severity varies from mild to severe, potentially leading to death from dehydration and bacterial toxin poisoning. Severe infections are typically caused by Shigella dysenteriae type 1, mainly in tropical and subtropical areas. Other bacteria, like Salmonella and Campylobacter, can also cause dysentery.
Amebic dysentery, or intestinal amebiasis, is caused by the protozoan Entamoeba histolytica. More chronic than bacillary dysentery, it's harder to treat because the organism has motile and cyst forms, each causing different disease patterns. Dysentery spreads through food or water contaminated by the feces of a human carrier and is common where sanitation is poor. Control measures include boiling water and proper waste disposal.
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What are common symptoms of dysentery?
Dysentery, an infectious disease, manifests through inflammation of the intestine, abdominal pain, and diarrhea, often with blood and mucus in stools. It primarily results from two types of infection: bacteria (bacillary dysentery) or amoebas (amebic dysentery).
Bacillary dysentery, caused by Shigella bacteria, varies in severity, with symptoms ranging from mild to severe, including fever, vomiting, dehydration, and frequent watery stools that may contain blood. Amebic dysentery, caused by the protozoan Entamoeba histolytica, presents as either an acute dysentery with symptoms similar to bacillary dysentery or as a chronic illness marked by intermittent diarrhea, abdominal pain, and sometimes bloody stools.
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What causes dysentery?
Dysentery, marked by intestinal inflammation, abdominal discomfort, and frequent diarrhea with bloody, mucus-filled stools, is mainly caused by bacteria or amoebas.
Bacillary dysentery, or shigellosis, stems from Shigella bacteria, with severity varying from mild to potentially fatal due to dehydration and toxins. Shigella dysenteriae type 1 is the most severe and is found in tropical regions. Other bacteria, such as Salmonella, can also cause dysentery.
Amebic dysentery, or intestinal amebiasis, is caused by the protozoan Entamoeba histolytica. It's typically chronic, with diarrhea, abdominal pain, and sometimes bloody stools. This form has two phases, acute and chronic, each with its own disease course. Both bacillary and amebic dysentery spread through food or water contaminated by human feces, often due to infected food handlers or inadequate sanitation.
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How does dysentery affect the intestines?
Dysentery, an infectious disease, leads to inflammation of the intestine, causing abdominal pain and diarrhea; stools often contain blood and mucus. Bacillary dysentery, caused by bacteria like Shigella, varies from mild to severe, potentially causing death from dehydration and toxins. In advanced stages, chronic ulceration of the large intestine results in bloody stools.
Amebic dysentery, or intestinal amebiasis, is caused by the protozoan Entamoeba histolytica. The motile form of this protozoan causes acute dysentery, with symptoms similar to bacillary dysentery. The cyst form results in a chronic illness, marked by intermittent diarrhea, abdominal pain, and sometimes bloody stools, along with possible ulcerations of the large intestine.
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How is dysentery different from other forms of diarrhea?
Dysentery is an infectious disease marked by inflammation of the intestine along with abdominal pain and diarrhea, with stools that often contain blood and mucus. While diarrhea is a symptom, dysentery is a specific illness caused by bacteria (bacillary dysentery) or amoebas (amebic dysentery).
Other infections can also result in diarrhea. For example, gastroenteritis is an infection of the digestive system that can be caused by viruses, bacteria, or parasites and results in diarrhea, vomiting, and abdominal cramps. Also, bacterial infections such as Salmonella may damage the colon but do not typically cause generalized inflammation of the colon.
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What are the possible complications if dysentery is not treated?
Dysentery, characterized by intestinal inflammation, abdominal pain, and bloody diarrhea, poses significant risks if untreated, especially in children in less-developed countries.
Bacillary dysentery, caused by Shigella bacteria, can range from mild to severe, leading to dehydration and poisoning from bacterial toxins. Severe infections from Shigella dysenteriae may cause chronic large intestine ulceration and bloody stools.
Amebic dysentery, caused by the protozoan Entamoeba histolytica, can manifest as acute or chronic illness, with the latter causing intermittent diarrhea, abdominal pain, and potential liver infections.
Both types of dysentery spread through contaminated food and water. Diarrheal diseases, including dysentery, can cause severe dehydration, especially in vulnerable populations, and claim over a million lives yearly. Acute renal failure may also occur.
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dysentery, infectious disease characterized by inflammation of the intestine, abdominal pain, and diarrhea with stools that often contain blood and mucus. Dysentery is a significant cause of illness and death in young children, particularly those who live in less-developed countries. There are two major types: bacillary dysentery, caused by bacteria, and amebic dysentery, caused by amoebas.
Bacillary dysentery, or shigellosis, is caused by bacilli of the genus Shigella. Symptomatically, the disease ranges from a mild attack to a severe course that commences suddenly and ends in death caused by dehydration and poisoning by bacterial toxins. After an incubation period of one to six days, the disease has an abrupt onset with fever and the frequent production of watery stools that may contain blood. Vomiting may also occur, and dehydration soon becomes obvious owing to the copious loss of bodily fluids. In advanced stages of the disease, chronic ulceration of the large intestine causes the production of bloody stools.
The most severe bacillary infections are caused by Shigella dysenteriae type 1 (formerly Shigella shigae), which is found chiefly in tropical and subtropical regions. S. flexneri, S. sonnei, and S. boydii are other Shigella bacilli that cause dysentery. Other types of bacterial infections, including salmonellosis (caused by Salmonella) and campylobacteriosis (caused by Campylobacter), can produce bloody stools and are sometimes also described as forms of bacillary dysentery. The treatment of bacillary dysentery is based on the use of antibiotics. The administration of fluids and, in some cases, blood transfusions may be necessary.
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Amebic dysentery, or intestinal amebiasis, is caused by the protozoan Entamoeba histolytica. This form of dysentery, which traditionally occurs in the tropics, is usually much more chronic and insidious than the bacillary disease and is more difficult to treat because the causative organism occurs in two forms, a motile one and a cyst, each of which produces a different disease course. The motile form causes an acute dysentery, the symptoms of which resemble those of bacillary dysentery. The cyst form produces a chronic illness marked by intermittent episodes of diarrhea and abdominal pain. Bloody stools occur in some patients. The chronic type is the more common of the two and is marked by frequent remissions and exacerbations of symptoms. The chronic form may also produce ulcerations of the large intestine and pockets of infection in the liver. Both forms of amebic dysentery are treated with drugs that specifically kill the amebic parasites that thrive in the intestines.
Dysentery is transmitted through the ingestion of food or water that has been contaminated by the feces of a human carrier of the infective organism. The transmission is often by infected individuals who handle food with unwashed hands. The spread of amebic dysentery is often accomplished by people who are carriers of the disease but who at the time show no symptoms. Dysentery is commonly found when people are crowded together and have access only to primitive sanitary facilities. Spread of the disease can be controlled by boiling drinking water and by adequately disposing of human waste to avoid the contamination of food.