What can you do about intestinal infection? Intestinal infection (food poisoning). How does poisoning occur?

Food infections and poisoning become causes of human illness. When there is a large accumulation of pathogenic microorganisms, the body is damaged in a large number of people. Understanding the problems of infection, you need to take into account all the risks and prevent diseases.

Infection problem

Food infections differ from poisoning in that microorganisms are easily transmitted to others if sanitary and hygienic standards are not observed. When the infection becomes widespread, the sick should be dealt with by specialists. Prevention should be carried out, especially if illnesses occurred in preschool and school institutions.

Dangerous conditions are when the body's strength declines. Human immunity allows others to pass through, creating favorable conditions for the acquisition of chronic diseases. Some infections can stay inside for a lifetime. Practical events made it possible to create morbidity statistics, according to which the main causes of infection were identified.

Basic definitions

Pathogenic microorganisms cause food infections depending on the type:

Bacteria dangerous to animals are zoonoses.
Causing ailments only in humans are anthroponoses.
Mixed types of microorganisms are zooanthroponoses; humans become infected with them from livestock.

Foodborne infections are different, depending on the pathogens that caused them:

zooanthroponoses provoke brucellosis, plague, anthrax;
anthroponoses cause dysentery, cholera, and typhoid fever.

Both animals and humans may not have symptoms of illness, but at the same time be carriers of infection. Often infection occurs through untested milk or meat.

Isolated ailments:

bacterial origin: food infection - toxicoinfection, intoxication - the result of consuming foods saturated with toxins;
non-bacterial.

You can only catch the infection from infected products. The person himself becomes a carrier. Most microorganisms can survive in air. While preserved, they do not reproduce. Only when they enter a living organism do they become active.

Sources of illness

Microorganisms that cause foodborne infections are not in active form in food, if not favorable conditions. As the temperature rises, bacteria begin to multiply. The following factors contribute to growth:

constant humidity;
the presence of fungi, fibers;
sweet environment is the best provocateur of infection;
toxins such as botulism can often be found in homemade canned meat and chicken;
milk, meat products, and sausage contain salmonella.

If you carefully check the listed products, you can avoid dangerous contamination. In these products, pathogenic organisms develop instantly when warm temperature. Even an hour under the sun, meat and eggs become sources of infection. Food infections and poisoning occur at the same time.

They have distinctive features:

Pathogenic microorganisms after infection can be transmitted to surrounding people; poisoning occurs due to the accumulation of toxins in food;
infections are found in any product - spoiled and unspoiled;
a person can only be poisoned by stale food;
infections can settle in the human body for a long time, making themselves felt after a few days;
poisoning is observed immediately, within no more than three hours;

One product can make you feel sick right away large number people.

General signs of infection

Feeling unwell several hours after eating may indicate poisoning. A food infection has entered the body. Symptoms of such conditions:

Dizziness.
Vomit.
Increased blood pressure.
Cramps in the abdominal area.
Gas formation in the intestines.
Diarrhea, general weakness of the body.

The patient experiences a set of such ailments when acute food infections are detected. Diarrhea may occur much later, it all depends on external factors and concentrations of pathogens in products. The first sign of poisoning is lack of appetite. The stomach begins to swell. Painful conditions appear that get worse when walking.

After a few hours, an avalanche-like increase in intestinal spasms occurs. The person gets prolonged diarrhea. During this period, they fight against clinical symptoms. After the food infection has subsided, they try to record the symptoms and conduct a survey of the patient regarding the consumption of low-quality food.

In most cases, the general signs of illness are the same for all people. To establish the true cause of poisoning, laboratory tests of the biomaterial will be required. Without such a procedure, no doctor will be able to make a correct diagnosis.

Pathogenic microorganisms in milk

The most common cases of food infections are observed in cases of poisoning with low-quality milk and its derivatives. The case most often concerns home-made products; factories still carry out periodic monitoring. Based on the test results, the animal whose milk has changed in its physical and chemical composition is determined:

When suffering from tuberculosis, an increase in the amount of fat and a decrease in protein units are observed. The milk tastes salty.
The disease brucellosis is less noticeable, the milk remains the same.
Complications of leukemia lead to an increase in fat and dry matter. Casein and lactose are reduced. A huge number of leukocytes are found in a sick animal.
When suffering from foot and mouth disease, milk does not sit well in curdled milk. Leukocytes and the amount of fat increase. The drink tastes bitter, the animal reduces production.
A disease such as mastitis also spoils dairy products. There is an increase in leukocytes in milk.

Toxic infections produce symptoms similar to those of poisoning, but they are easily transmitted to others. Microorganisms multiply inside foods and in the human body. This ailment is easy to confuse and will require a full examination to make an accurate diagnosis.

Contaminated milk is distinguished by the following feature: the shape of fat globules on the surface of the liquid. Rounded features indicate normal health of the pet. Pathological figures from blurring indicate a change in composition. However, the analysis takes into account the seasonality of the measurements taken, as well as the conditions under which the cow is kept.

Type of illness

Food viral infections can be caused by various viruses. They are contagious not only to others, but also to the sick person himself. Bacteria spread throughout internal organs. They enter the stomach, intestines, and settle in the upper respiratory tract.

An ascending infection may occur when the lungs and then the bronchial system are affected. Rotavirus lesions of internal organs are the most common. Vivid symptoms include intestinal upset and general malaise. Diarrhea gives way to gas and constipation. Body temperature often rises, and a red throat is observed. Painful sensations when swallowing food there are no. Feverish spasms occur in the body.

The following types of infections are distinguished:

Listed group A rotaviruses.
Enteroviruses.
Reoviruses.
Adenoviruses.

All groups are established through laboratory tests. The principles of treatment are practically the same, but individual therapy is selected for each infection. An important step on the path to cure is to determine the source of the disease and completely eliminate it. All of the above types have special vitality inside watery accumulations. Some species even withstand heat and chemical treatment.

How do they get infected?

Foodborne intestinal infections have common routes of transmission to a healthy person:

Violation of terms of production and storage of food products.
Failure to comply with sanitary and hygienic rules, this often occurs in young children.
Lack of monitoring of the body’s condition after attending public events, before entering school or kindergarten.
The only route of human poisoning is oral penetration of microbes. Microorganisms enter the intestines only through the mouth. They develop inside the thin section, constantly descending further.
The feces of a sick person contain more than a million pathogenic microbes. Therefore, during the period of exacerbation of infection, it is recommended to focus on sanitary and hygienic procedures.

Dirty hands have always suffered from foodborne infections. Diseases were more often found in sloppy people, as well as in young children due to their lack of understanding of the importance of the problem or the irresponsible behavior of their parents. Less commonly, the infection is transmitted by airborne droplets.

Outbreaks of infectious poisonings are observed through direct contact with domestic animals in rural areas. Epidemics occur in the spring-autumn period. Active forms of viruses and bacteria are found inside food long time. If products are stored and processed incorrectly, pathogenic microorganisms begin to grow.

Adenoviruses remain after the patient on personal items, dishes, and in bed. For inflammation accompanied by acute ailments in the intestines, it is better to adhere to strict sanitation rules.

Exacerbation phase

Acute periods of the disease are characterized by a decrease in a person’s general well-being. Advanced stages of poisoning even led to deaths. Medical assistance must be provided in a timely manner. The last resort measure to save the patient’s life is to wash the stomach and intestines with special solutions.

After the procedure, pathogenic microorganisms are removed along with beneficial ones. Therefore, to return healthy microflora, powerful therapy is used throughout the entire recovery period. The most powerful period of complications occurs on the first day after infection. If the symptoms do not subside for more than 7 days, then the patient requires mandatory hospitalization and urgent therapy to destroy the pathogens.

All poisonings occur against the background of a high body temperature of more than 38 degrees. The patient complains of chills, feverish manifestations, and failure to accept fresh food. He will need to follow a diet and take medications. Vomiting conditions are combined with constant diarrhea. Not every person is able to withstand this, so most victims prefer to experience their illness in a clinic.

Pain sensations occur in the head, stomach, and lower abdomen. A cough, something like a sore throat, or an allergic attack may develop. All inflammatory processes are accompanied by exacerbation in the lymphatic system. The nodes swell noticeably. At this moment, being near the patient can be dangerous; the infection is easily transmitted through household objects.

How to fight: general methods

Prevention of foodborne infections begins with compliance with sanitary and hygienic rules for keeping livestock. They carefully choose food products, trusting only trusted manufacturers. In the warm season, pay special attention to the change in color of fresh meat to dark tones.

It is not recommended to use expired food even as frying ingredients. Boiled meat is safest to eat, but it cannot be stored for long. Affected products are destroyed; simple disposal into the soil will lead to an outbreak of poisoning in the area.

Viruses are not only resistant to chemicals in meat, but also persist during frying. According to disease statistics, the peak of infections and food poisoning occurs in summer period. Hot weather promotes the proliferation of pathogenic microorganisms.

Medicinal types of control

To eliminate acute complications, foodborne infections are suppressed with drugs. Treatment is prescribed immediately at the first signs of intoxication. Pharmacy products are designed to reduce the concentration of pathogens in the intestines. Patients are immediately prescribed plenty of warm drinks and medications: activated carbon, Polysorb, Enerosgel. They absorb bacteria and viruses and exit the body naturally.

In case of mild poisoning, it is recommended to call for removal of undigested food. A weak solution of potassium permanganate is used to lavage the stomach. A few glasses of the product help to naturally cleanse the body. Modern drugs have a similar effect: “Gastrolit”, “Regidron”.

The prescription of powerful antibiotics should be carried out only after a complete examination of the body by laboratory methods in the clinic. An incorrectly selected remedy will lead to a subsequent outbreak of another inflammation or infection of loved ones. There are symptoms of a food infection, after the appearance of which it is impossible to delay hospitalization. These include blood in the stool, paroxysmal cough, body temperature above 39 degrees, loss of consciousness and delirium.

What we usually call food poisoning, in its essence, most often is not. Poisoning in pure form- this is the entry of a toxic substance into the body (for example, poisonous mushrooms or berries). In pediatric practice, we rarely encounter poisonings as such.

Most often we are talking about so-called food poisoning, which from a medical point of view should be divided into food poisoning and intestinal infection.

Food poisoning is a disease in which it is not a microbe that enters the body, but endotoxin (a poison that is contained intracellularly in the microbe). In other words, during heat treatment the microbe was destroyed, but the poisons contained in its cells entered the product. Example food poisoning there may be poisoning from expired custard cakes, thermally processed dairy products, etc.

Foodborne illness is characterized by a very short incubation period, lasting literally a few hours. Then there is a sharp deterioration general condition, vomiting appears, after which it usually becomes easier, for a short period of time the temperature may rise to low-grade levels (more than 37). Unstable stool may occur several times. The next day, subnormal body temperature appears (below 36.6), severe weakness, then gradual normalization of the condition. Due to the fact that there is not a microbe in the body, but only a toxin, food poisoning is a disease that occurs very rapidly, begins quickly, but also ends quickly.

Fundamental difference acute intestinal infection is that it can only be caused by a microbe that has entered the body. These can be either viral or bacterial intestinal infections. Among viral infections, the most common are rotavirus, enterovirus and noravirus. Among the bacterial ones are salmonellosis, dysentery, etc. The route of transmission of the microbe during intestinal infection is usually fecal-oral, i.e. From the external environment, the microbe first gets onto some product, and then into the body.

The incubation period of an intestinal infection can last longer than with a toxic infection, up to several days. The main symptoms of intestinal infection are general malaise, fever, vomiting, and diarrhea.

How to avoid food poisoning?

Under no circumstances should you use low-quality food products. As for food poisoning, it is still more typical for the warm season. And most often it is associated with cakes that contain custard, butter, protein, curd creams, as well as with glazed cheeses and dairy products. They are especially dangerous when sold from open street trays, where they are stored without the correct temperature conditions.

In the case of intestinal infections, one of the most important rules is to thoroughly wash your hands before eating. IN mandatory should be washed before use hot water vegetables and fruits, even those that we peel. Very often, when buying, for example, bananas or tangerines, we immediately start eating them without washing them, citing the fact that we are peeling them. But the moment we peel the fruit, microbes from the surface of the peel get onto our hands, and then into the oral cavity. You need to be very careful when handling cut watermelons. After all, a watermelon grows and is stored on the ground, and when it is slightly cut at the time of sale, microbes from its surface fall directly into the pulp. And this applies not only to watermelons - you cannot try any cut vegetables and fruits in the markets.

Another important condition is proper storage of products. You should know that washed and unwashed vegetables and fruits cannot be stored in the same container, because otherwise there will be a mechanical transmission of microbes.

It is imperative to observe the shelf life of ready-made thermally processed food. If you are preparing a salad, germs may be introduced into it during preparation. But if this salad is eaten freshly, these microbes will not be able to multiply enough to cause an intestinal infection. First of all, this concerns vegetable salads and salads with sour cream and mayonnaise dressings. By the way, the air temperature in the refrigerator is optimal for the reproduction of many types of microbes.

It is worth paying attention to drinking water. It has long been the norm throughout the world that water is divided into drinking water and water for domestic use. In our country, the culture of using exclusively drinking water. And if you use tap water, it must be boiled.

Treatment of food poisoning

Since any intestinal infection is characterized by vomiting, diarrhea and fever, the most important thing in this situation is to provide the child with a sufficient amount of fluid (more than he loses). With vomit and diarrhea, a large amount of fluid and, as a result, salts are lost, resulting in dehydration (dehydration) of the body. What to drink? Best mineral water without gas and dried fruit compote, which contains potassium. It can also be tea, jelly, or plain water.

If the body temperature has risen above 38.5, then it must be brought down with the help of antipyretics. The temperature drops to 38 only in children who have a history of seizures or traumatic brain injuries.

It should be emphasized that in case of so-called food poisoning, you should definitely consult a doctor. First, no matter how much liquid a child drinks, adequately assess his hydration ( water balance) can only be done by a specialist. Secondly, the doctor will be able to prescribe the necessary treatment containing biological products to restore the intestinal microflora. Thirdly, it is important to differentiate whether the infection is viral or bacterial, and whether antibacterial drugs are required. Inappropriate use of antibiotics (incorrect dosage and course duration) can lead to a subclinical form of the disease (carriage). That is, there are no external manifestations of the disease, but it is present in the body. This is dangerous because any decrease in immunity can lead to activation of the microbe and recurrent disease. In addition, a person with such a subclinical form of the disease, without knowing it, can infect the people around him.

In what situations is hospitalization required?

If, against the background of vomiting and diarrhea, parents cannot provide the child with the necessary fluid intake. This manifests itself in the fact that he begins to urinate less often. In this situation, it is necessary to urgently take the child to the hospital, because as a result of dehydration, the kidneys will first suffer.

An absolute indication for hospitalization is also the appearance of blood in the stool.

If there are several children in a family, then in order to avoid cross-infection, it is recommended to isolate the sick child. If for some reason complete isolation cannot be ensured, then hospitalization is also recommended.

How to eat if food poisoning?

Previously, it was believed that patients with intestinal infection should be kept on a water-tea break, that is, given water, but not food. But this is a forgotten technique. Modern pediatricians adhere to a different point of view: a child with an intestinal infection can be fed if he wants to eat and can digest food. But if the child does not want to, then there is no need to force feed him.

You can give your child any food, provided that it is boiled, stewed or steamed. Should be completely excluded fresh vegetables and fruits, juices, carbonated drinks, limit fats. The ban also applies to whole milk, milk soup and cottage cheese, with the exception of thermally processed products (for example, porridge with milk, cheesecakes).

While on a therapeutic diet, you need to feed your child often and in small portions.

Dechko Alexander Valerievich, doctor of the first category, director of the private unitary enterprise "Dechko and K" (trademark "Good Doctor").

Interviewed by Anastasia SHUNTO

Nowadays, each of us has a chance of getting an upset stomach. How to recognize poisoning in time and help yourself?

Classic signs of food poisoning (the result of mildly pathogenic microorganisms) are nausea and vomiting. There is no point in holding back these urges. On the contrary, they need to be provoked by rinsing the stomach with clean water (if you don’t have boiled water, then an ordinary bottle from a bottle) at room temperature.
Diarrhea in combination with a sharp rise in temperature also signals food poisoning. In this case, immediately take enterosorbents: activated carbon (at the rate of 1 tablet per 10 kg of weight), for example. Everyone should have it. Like the drug rehydron, it is a fairly safe powder for solution with glucose, which restores the acid-base balance disturbed during diarrhea. A packet of this solution must be diluted in boiled water at room temperature and drunk in small portions. It will help normalize the condition and avoid dehydration in adults and in children.

The folk method is to drink vodka with salt...

A very dangerous recipe that can increase intoxication of the body. When a person is poisoned, for example, by canned food, which can develop an aggressive poison - botulinum toxin, then together with alcohol it is twice as dangerous. Although at the initial stage (2 to 3 hours or 1 to 2 days after infection), patients with deadly botulism usually complain of sharp pain in the stomach, head, weakness, nausea, digestive disorders, fever. Everything looks like normal food poisoning.

How to distinguish ordinary food poisoning from an infectious disease?

Symptoms of most mild intestinal disorders disappear within one to three days after onset. Even if a person does not take medications, he adheres to a diet and drinks a lot of fluids. But if the patient continues to go to the toilet every 10 - 15 minutes, then this is a sign of infectious colitis, and it is unlikely that it will be possible to do without antibiotics. But they must be prescribed by a doctor.
It is very dangerous if there is mucus or blood in the stool. In such situations, it is necessary to urgently seek help from doctors. After all, this may indicate the development of dysentery, salmonellosis, or an exacerbation of serious gastroenterological diseases.
An alarming symptom is irresistible vomiting. This can be not only severe food poisoning, but also an attack of acute pancreatitis. This disease requires immediate hospitalization.

To prevent poisoning from occurring, try not to take foods that spoil quickly with you on the road, do not eat unwashed fruits and berries, avoid roadside cafes and foods sold under open air(pies, buns, boiled corn and especially seafood).

If a child who is more than one year old has diarrhea, he needs to be given smecta (half a packet of powder) twice a day. Older children can be given a whole sachet; adults should dilute the sachet in 200 grams of water. You can drink 2 - 3 glasses per day. You should immediately switch to dietary foods, completely abandoning fatty, fried and dairy foods, too salty or sweet.
Be sure to drink frequently so that you don’t have to save yourself from dehydration later. Therefore, in such a situation, you should drink rice water (pour a tablespoon of round rice into 1 liter of water and cook for 50 minutes) and weak tea without sugar. And from food they will be suitable rice soup, porridge with water, baked apples.

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The symptoms of intestinal poisoning and food poisoning have few differences, and it can be difficult for an uninitiated person to distinguish food poisoning from infectious. And yet, each of them has its own clinical features and differences, which you need to know about in order to correctly provide first aid to the patient. How to distinguish poisoning from an intestinal infection will be discussed in our article.

Symptoms of intestinal intoxication

Poisoning can occur when toxins enter the digestive tract with poor-quality food - stale, spoiled, improperly prepared, various marinades and canned food, as well as various chemicals.

Common symptoms of food poisoning are:

cramping abdominal pain (colic);
nausea and vomiting;
lack of appetite;
dry mouth;
headache, dizziness;
severe general weakness;
rapid heartbeat;
decreased blood pressure;
increased breathing;
chills, increased body temperature (not typical for all poisonings).

The time for symptoms to appear from the moment toxins enter the body is very short - from several minutes to several hours.

Signs of infectious intestinal poisoning

Symptoms are caused by the body's reaction to the inflammatory process in the digestive tract.

Signs of infectious poisoning appear as follows:

high temperature rise, up to 40°, accompanied by fever, chills;
nausea, repeated vomiting;
frequent loose stools, it may have a specific smell, foamy consistency, green, contain an admixture of blood;

tenesmus in the abdomen– painful, cramping pains that decrease after stool and reappear after a while;
general condition disorder– severe weakness, physical inactivity, dizziness;
pallor and dry skin.

From the moment the infectious agent enters the body until the first symptoms appear, it can take from several hours to several days, and sometimes the incubation period is about a month.

How is rotavirus different from an intestinal infection?

How to distinguish between poisoning or rotavirus infection? The latter is essentially an intestinal infection, but it is caused not by bacteria, but by a special type of virus.

Children are more often exposed to this effect due to the fact that they do not yet have a strong enough immune system.

Infection can occur not only through food, but also through airborne droplets through direct contact with a patient.

Viral poisoning is manifested by the following symptoms:

increased body temperature, usually up to 38°;
frequent loose stools, while the diarrhea is not very pronounced - up to 4-8 times a day;
loss of appetite;
swelling of the mucous membranes of the nasopharynx, as with rhinovirus infection.
headache;
feeling of nausea;

Symptoms of general intoxication (weakness, dizziness) are not very pronounced, the child can still be active and play as usual.

The difference between infectious and food poisoning

To find out what exactly happened to the patient, what is the cause of the health disorders that have arisen, you need to know the difference between poisoning and intestinal infection and the characteristics of clinical manifestations.

Poisoning is characterized by a short incubation period. The general symptoms of intoxication are more pronounced - headache, disorders of the cardiovascular system, breathing, muscle weakness, headache, and there may even be disturbances in orientation and vision. An increase in body temperature is not typical for all types of poisoning, and in some types it even decreases.

There may also be changes in stool, depending on the nature of the pathogen. For example, with salmonellosis it may have a greenish color, with dysentery - with mucus and an admixture of blood, and with staphylococcal infection, white lumps of pus in the stool are characteristic. Characterized by high body temperature.

Rotavirus or intestinal flu often occurs is not associated with errors in nutrition or hygiene, but occurs upon contact with a sick person. Clinically, it resembles an intestinal infection, but occurs in a milder form, the symptoms of general intoxication are not expressed, the level of temperature rise is lower, and recovery occurs much faster. Often accompanied by symptoms of damage to the mucous membranes of the respiratory tract, and the onset of the disease may resemble an acute respiratory infection.

At home, it is easy to determine the presence of rotavirus using a special rapid test, which can be purchased at a pharmacy. A little feces is placed in the supplied bottle with liquid, after it is dissolved, 2 drops are applied to the strip in the test window. Its pink color indicates the presence of rotavirus.

First aid to a patient

Providing first aid for food and infectious poisoning has both general measures and its own characteristics.

General measures include gastric lavage, removal of toxins from the body in case of poisoning or intestinal infection using appropriate means (sorbents): activated carbon, polysorb, polyphelan, smecta and other modern sorbents. Medicines for poisoning or intestinal infection will help relieve the main syndromes, prevent the development of complications and improve well-being.

Also, in all cases, drink plenty of fluids. to replenish fluid and electrolyte losses due to vomiting and diarrhea. Good for poisoning or intestinal infection drugs containing mineral salts and glucose, which is capable of removing toxins from the body (rehydron, galactin, glucosolan and analogues).

The differences are as follows:

Recommended for poisoning laxatives and cleansing enema to quickly remove toxins. This cannot be done with an intestinal infection, regardless of its nature - bacterial, fungal or viral. Stimulating already frequent bowel movements can lead to a worsening of the condition - the development of spasms of the inflamed intestines, increased pain, increased fluid loss;
If infectious poisoning is suspected the patient must be isolated from contact with other people, especially children, given separate dishes, and all manipulations with him must be carried out using rubber gloves;

If it is a mild rotavirus infection, you need to call a doctor at home, and in case of poisoning or intestinal infection, emergency medical care and hospitalization are necessary.

If the temperature rises due to poisoning, it is not recommended to give medications to reduce it, the reaction can be unpredictable, and for an intestinal infection, if the temperature exceeds 38°, especially in children, you can give an antipyretic drug (paracetamol, aspirin).

Features and differences of treatment of poisoning

When treating poisoning, an integrated approach is used; it is imperative to take sorbents and means to prevent dehydration, choosing the rest medicines depends on the symptoms that accompany intoxication. In the treatment of intestinal poisoning and food poisoning, there are both general measures and specifics, depending on the established cause and severity of the disease.

The common ones are:

Removing intoxication;
Replenishment of water and electrolyte balance;
Restoration of organ function;
Increased immunity;
A gentle diet.

In case of poisoning, as a rule, treatment is carried out in a hospital setting, an antidote of the toxic substance is administered, if available, infusion and detoxification therapy, stimulation of the cardiovascular and respiratory systems, and oxygen therapy are carried out.

Description and etiology

Food poisoning and intestinal infections primarily differ in etiology, that is, the cause of the development of the disease. Poisoning develops as a result of intoxication of the body with toxins that are formed in spoiled and rotten foods. Intestinal infections are caused by highly pathogenic microorganisms that can cause inflammation in the walls of the digestive tract and lead to intoxication syndrome.

Intestinal infections

For a disease of infectious origin the clinical picture is caused by the entry of pathogenic microorganisms into the digestive tract. These can be viruses and bacteria.

Please note that intestinal infections are contagious; a person can become ill with them after household contact with a carrier of the pathogen.

The most common types of intestinal infections include:

salmonellosis – bacterial disease caused by bacteria. Infections can enter the human body through meat products and eggs; a person can also become infected during household contact with a sick person;
dysentery is a bacterial intestinal infection that is transmitted through contaminated water, dairy products, from a sick person to a healthy person;
rotavirus infection, or “intestinal flu,” is a contagious viral disease transmitted by the fecal-oral route. It is a seasonal pathology. The peak of the disease comes in winter.

Please note that rotavirus infection is often confused with influenza and ARVI. With this disease, viral intoxication develops, the same as with a cold. The main difference between rotavirus infection is the appearance of diarrhea and vomiting.

With an intestinal infection, pathogenic microorganisms entering the intestines cause severe inflammation. These diseases are accompanied by a strong intoxication syndrome and are dangerous for people. They are especially difficult for young children, who are very sensitive to intoxication and dehydration.

Food poisoning

Food poisoning develops for a number of reasons, listed below:

Eating low-quality and spoiled foods. This could be food that has expired or was stored at the wrong temperature. In such products, opportunistic bacteria multiply, which in themselves are not dangerous to humans, and symptoms of poisoning develop from the toxins produced by them and from the products of their vital activity.
Insufficient heat treatment of meat and fish.
Failure to comply with sanitary and hygienic norms and rules. Dirty hands, unwashed dishes, poorly washed fruits and vegetables can lead to poisoning.
Use poisonous plants or mushrooms.

Please note that food poisoning is not contagious. You can calmly communicate with a poisoned person without fear of becoming infected, but food that the sick person ate cannot be eaten.

Food poisoning and food infections have a lot in common and similar in its clinical picture and course of the disease. It is because of the similarity of symptoms that they are constantly confused with each other.

Damage to the digestive tract. Toxins or bacteria, once in the gastric cavity, cause local inflammation of the mucous membrane and lead to gastroenteritis.
Transmitted through food. In order to get sick, you need to eat something of poor quality or contaminated.
Symptoms: abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, increased gas formation and intestinal colic.
Dehydration is a condition in which a large amount of fluid is removed from the body. Poisoning or intestinal infection is accompanied by severe dehydration of the body(loss of water) due to vomiting and diarrhea.
The course of the disease always progresses standard scheme: first a certain incubation period during which there are no clinical manifestations of poisoning or intestinal infection. Then comes the height of the disease, which is replaced by a period of recovery.

Distinctive Features

Distinctive features of poisoning and intestinal infections help the doctor to suspect a particular pathology. Some symptoms are very specific, indicating a specific pathology.

Talking about distinctive features, we must not forget that the course of the same disease in different people may vary and be individual. There are also atypical forms of intestinal infections and poisonings that occur with mild symptoms.

Please note that you can try to distinguish poisoning from an intestinal infection by the symptoms of the disease. The final diagnosis is made only on the basis of laboratory tests of the body.

The following are the distinctive features:

The incubation period for food poisoning is shorter than for intestinal infection. When consuming low-quality, spoiled food, symptoms of poisoning develop during the first 6 hours. For intestinal infections, the incubation period can last several weeks..
Localization of the greatest damage to the digestive tract. Thus, in case of poisoning, inflammation develops in the gastric mucosa and duodenum. In case of intestinal infection, the large or small intestine is affected.
Intoxication syndrome is more pronounced with intestinal infection. The temperature can rise to 39 degrees. With food poisoning, body temperature does not rise above 37.5 degrees.
Some intestinal infections differ in the appearance and consistency of stool. For example, with salmonellosis, the stool is loose, green and foamy. With dysentery, the stools are watery, streaks of blood can be seen in them; with cholera, the stool looks like rice water.

Principles of diagnosis and diagnosis

The attending physician first takes a history and examines the patient. He should indicate the time when the first symptoms appeared and list the foods you ate over the past 24 hours. You should also tell what treatment measures you took on your own before applying for medical care, what concomitant diseases do you suffer from, what pills do you constantly take, what are you allergic to.

As we mentioned above, the final diagnosis can only be made on the basis of laboratory research methods. In case of poisoning or intestinal infection, diagnostics is aimed not only at making an accurate diagnosis, but also at assessing the state of the entire body and searching for possible complications.

The following are laboratory and instrumental examinations that may be prescribed in the event of food poisoning or intestinal infection:

A general blood test with a detailed leukocyte formula is a very informative study. With it you can:

see the presence of a bacterial or intestinal infection;
determine the severity of the inflammatory process in the body;
roughly estimate the degree of dehydration (based on hematocrit);
suspect helminthic infestation;
detect anemia or hemolysis (can develop during poisoning poisonous mushrooms).

A general urine test is performed to identify abnormalities in the functioning of the kidneys. It is worth noting that acute inflammation of the kidney structures (pyelonephritis) can imitate poisoning. With its atypical course, diarrhea and abdominal pain may develop. At the same time, the level of leukocytes in the urine increases.
Bacteriological examination of stool can detect intestinal infection.
A biochemical blood test is necessary to diagnose abnormalities in the electrolyte balance, as well as to identify disorders of the liver, kidneys, and pancreas.
Ultrasound examination of internal organs is performed to assess the condition of the gallbladder, liver, pancreas and kidneys. It is these organs that are primarily affected by poisoning or intestinal infection. Identifying abnormalities in them helps the doctor prescribe the necessary treatment and prevent the progression of their damage.
Electrocardiography is performed in cases of severe dehydration and electrolyte imbalance. An ECG is necessary to detect rhythm abnormalities.

Differences in treatment

The main difference in the treatment of intestinal infection and food poisoning is the need for antibiotic therapy. With laboratory confirmation of the bacterial etiology of the disease, the doctor prescribes antibacterial drugs, which the patient should take strictly according to the schedule.

Please note that viral intestinal infections are treated in the same way as food poisoning. Antibiotics or antiviral drugs are not assigned.

The remaining components of the treatment are almost the same. Diet, drinking plenty of fluids, antispasmodics, enzymes, antiemetics - all this helps the patient recover faster.

It is worth noting that in case of poisoning by poisonous mushrooms, the patient may need hemodialysis - purification of the blood from poisons using an artificial kidney apparatus.

Poisoning and intestinal infections have many similarities and differences. Put accurate diagnosis Only an experienced doctor can do this after examining, collecting anamnesis and examining the patient. Treatment is prescribed by a doctor after identifying the cause of the disease. Antibiotics help with intestinal infections. You cannot prescribe them for yourself; you can take them only on the recommendation of a doctor.