Question

Case study: An 83-year-old severely ill man was admitted to a hospital with symptoms of diarrhea and vomiting. The patient decided to go to the emergency room when he started to notice blood in his bowel movements. His food history includes consuming unpasteurized milk from a local farm. What was the probably pathogen? What treatment should this patient receive?

Answer 1

Possible pathogen: E.coli bacteria

Food poisoning

Any food borne disease such as E coli , Salmonella, which causes diarrhoea,nausea or vomiting, fever and abdominal cramps is called food poisoning.

E.Coli( Escherichia coli)

E .coli infection usually caused by the ingestion of contaminated drink or food. Unpasteurized milk ingestion may cause E. coli infection. E. coli is a commensal organism of our intestine and most of them are harmless, but some strains of bacteria may cause infection through contaminated milk intake.

E. coli infection is characterised by diarrhoea, vomiting, fever and abdominal cramps. Diarrhoea becomes bloody ones the patient's intestine get damaged by the toxins produced by the bacteria and continous diarrhoea . Testing of a stool sample will reveal the type of organism that caused the food poisoning.

Treatment

Severe illness and bloody diarrhoea is a medical emergency. Usually antibiotics are not preferably used in case of severe symptoms with bloody diarrhoea. Supportive treatment for the symptoms includes:

* Intravenous infusion of fluids and electrolytes

* Provide rest

* Supply plenty of fluids to drink to prevent dehydration

* Avoid diary products and oily items

* Provide low fiber diet . Examples; Rice, eggs

( Some cases Doctors may prescribe Antibiotics)