Acute intestinal infections: what mistakes should a first-time traveler not make?

Acute intestinal infections (AI) are a large group of infectious diseases caused by pathogenic and opportunistic bacteria, viruses and protozoa. All acute intestinal infections have similar clinical general and gastrointestinal manifestations: diarrhea, nausea, vomiting and fever, intoxication, dehydration. Infections are transmitted by humans and/or animals. The mechanism of infection is nutritional (that is, through the mouth). The routes of infection are fecal-oral (food or water), household, and for some viral infections - airborne. Most pathogens of acute intestinal infection are highly resistant in the external environment.

According to WHO (April 2017), acute respiratory infections occupy a leading place in infectious pathologies of childhood, second only to influenza and acute respiratory infections.
The most common intestinal infections: dysentery, salmonellosis, foodborne illnesses, rotavirus and enterovirus infections. Children from one to seven years of age are more susceptible to acute intestinal infections, but adults also get sick quite often. Important: Acute infection is especially severe in children and people of retirement age, as well as in patients with severe chronic diseases.
It is in these groups that dehydration often develops: with vomiting and loose stools, a person loses a large amount of fluid and electrolytes, which without correct treatment can be fatal. Clinical manifestations of intestinal infection:

• Intoxication syndrome - weakness, headache, body aches, dizziness, nausea
• Fever - increased body temperature (from 37 to 38 degrees and above), in some cases there may be no temperature
• Gastritis syndrome - stomach pain, nausea, vomiting
• Enteritis syndrome - frequent loose stools
• Colitic syndrome - pain in the lower abdomen, painful urge to defecate

These symptoms occur in different combinations and have varying degrees of severity.

Treatment of acute intestinal infection:

1) A gentle diet. Dairy products, raw vegetables, berries, fruits, fried, fatty, salty, spicy, smoked foods are excluded from the diet.

2) Taking sorbents. They reduce the duration of intoxication due to the ability to fix on their surface not only toxic products, but also pathogens of infectious diarrhea (viruses, bacteria).

3) Rehydration - replenishment of fluid and electrolyte loss (orally or parenterally).

4) Stopping vomiting, if necessary, quickly stop fluid loss.

5) Antibacterial therapy - prescribed by an infectious disease doctor if a bacterial infection is suspected.

6) Preparations of bifidobacteria and lactobacilli - in order to restore and prevent disorders of the intestinal microecology.

Despite the fact that most often OCI occurs in a mild form, with inadequate treatment or late consultation with a doctor, they can lead to dire consequences.

Complications of acute intestinal infections:

1) Dehydration (dehydration) - pathological loss of water and salts in an unnatural way (vomiting, loose stools). In addition to weight loss, the patient is concerned about dry skin and mucous membranes, thirst, decreased skin elasticity, increased heart rate, and decreased blood pressure.

2) Infectious-toxic shock - caused by a high concentration of bacterial toxins in the blood, occurs against a background of high temperature, often at the onset of the disease, and is accompanied by serious hemodynamic disturbances.

3) Pneumonia. With repeated vomiting, there is a high risk of reflux of stomach contents into the respiratory tract.

4) Acute renal failure. Develops against the background of severe intoxication and dehydration.

Features of the disease

Regardless of the route of transmission of intestinal infections, the disease develops at a rapid pace. The first signs may appear within 1-3 days after infection.

The main causative agents of the disease are rotavirus, enterovirus, adenovirus, rhinovirus or norovirus infections and bacteria. In most cases, an intestinal infection can affect the small intestine or stomach, or both organs at once.

All intestinal infections are conventionally divided into two groups - viral and bacterial. A viral infection is transmitted between people through household contact, airborne droplets, a bacterial infection, in turn, penetrates the intestines and gastric tract through the consumption of insufficiently heat-treated food, contaminated drinking water, as well as neglect of personal hygiene rules.

An intestinal infection can be identified by the following symptoms:

• sharp painful cramps in the abdominal area;
• vomiting and nausea;
• in some cases, a severe headache may occur, turning into a migraine;
• bowel disorders, which most often manifest as diarrhea and can lead to dehydration. In some cases, prolonged constipation may occur;
• loss of appetite, which can lead to persistent weight loss;
• weakening of the body’s immune forces, deterioration of sleep;
• skin itching, rashes.

In some cases, the disease may be completely asymptomatic in the first stages.

In children, an intestinal infection is most often accompanied by an increase in body temperature, so many parents perceive the first signs as ARVI. A little later, the symptoms are joined by sharp painful spasms in the abdominal area, as well as stool upset.

A viral intestinal infection is extremely contagious - it can be provoked by even a minimal amount of viral agents. In order to infect a healthy person, 15-100 particles of the virus are enough. In such cases, the carrier of the disease must undergo timely and correct treatment, and everyone around them must carefully observe the rules of personal hygiene.

Methods of transmission of the virus

How is intestinal infection transmitted? Intestinal flu (rotavirus infection) is transmitted from a sick person to a healthy person by fecal-oral and airborne droplets. One gram of feces can contain about 10 billion viruses. Children most often get sick, especially in autumn and winter.

With rhinovirus infection, both the sick person and the animal will become the source of infection. This disease is characterized by transmission only from the virus carrier. In the vast majority of cases, the disease occurs without obvious symptoms. The main route of infection is airborne, but cases of infection transmission through food, household items, and water cannot be ruled out.

The source of infection with an adenovirus infection will be a sick person or a carrier of the virus. Primarily, infection occurs through airborne droplets, but the infection can also be transmitted through the use of shared objects:

The greatest danger to health is the carrier of enterovirus infection - an infected person. In this case, the fecal-oral route of infection comes first, and only then the airborne route. In some cases, these mechanisms are combined with each other.

A person’s immunity after an infectious disease is unstable, so one can get sick from the same infection several times.

Stages of transmission of intestinal infection

The main mechanism of transmission of intestinal infections consists of three successive stages, which are as follows:

• The first stage – the causative agent of an intestinal infection “leaves” the infected organism.
• The second stage - the opportunistic microorganism is in the environment surrounding the person.
• The third stage - the pathogenic agent penetrates the weakest and most pliable organism.

A pathogenic microorganism can leave an infected organism in several ways - if it lives in the intestine, it can leave its cavity along with feces or vomit. If the pathogen is of rotavirus origin, it is localized in the upper respiratory tract and is released during sneezing or coughing.

Breach in the barrier

A healthy intestine has its own defense system. It consists of a special layer of mucus in which saprophytic (good) bacteria live, preventing harmful microbes and viruses from entering the body. These internal defenders produce the necessary vitamins and nutrients from which a healthy intestinal microbiota is formed. Its total weight in the body of an adult is about 2.5–3 kg. That is, this is a whole organ, the existence of which for many years scientists did not even know. But today they are learning more and more about its important properties. Thus, it is known that it is the microbiota that prevents viruses from penetrating through the mucous membranes. However, this reliable natural barrier is not so difficult to “break through”. The composition of the microbiota can be negatively affected by:

• Article on the topic

  Victory over the virus.
  8 foods that strengthen your immune system Poor nutrition . The most dangerous are a deficiency of dietary fiber and an excess of carbohydrates and fats.

• Obesity . It is associated with the development of secondary immunodeficiency. Fat is not just tissue, but a hormonally active organ that promotes the inflammatory response. It is not without reason that intestinal dysbiosis is almost always diagnosed in overweight people.
• Uncontrolled use of medications (primarily antibiotics and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs - NSAIDs).
• Past intestinal infections.
• Stress . It has been proven that its effect on intestinal permeability is comparable to the harm caused by taking NSAIDs.
• Certain gastrointestinal pathologies (inflammatory bowel diseases, NSAID-induced gastro- and enteropathies, liver diseases).

Mechanism of transmission of infection

The main mechanism of infection for intestinal infections is divided into three types:

1. Contact and household.
2. Airborne.
3. Fecal-oral.

Contact-household infection involves the use of various household items. In addition, the causative agents of the disease can be on the skin, in small abrasions and scratches, as well as in the oral cavity.

A person becomes infected through airborne droplets even during normal communication with an infected person. During a conversation, the carrier of the disease releases saliva particles that form a specific infectious aerosol in the air.

When released into the air, pathogenic bacteria can live in it for an hour and spread approximately 2 m from the main source of infection. With the airborne type of transmission of infection, even the strictest adherence to personal hygiene rules will not be sufficient to prevent infection.

Viral infections and cancer

Some types of viruses, as already mentioned, do not kill the host cell, but only change its DNA. All this leads to the fact that in the future the replication process may be disrupted and a tumor may form.

The main types of viruses that can cause cancer:

• Papilloma virus. May lead to the development of cervical cancer.
• HBV and HCV virus. May cause the development of liver cancer.
• Herpes virus 8. Causes the development of Kaposi's sarcoma (skin cancer, very rare) in AIDS patients.
• Epstein-Barr virus (infectious mononucleosis). May cause Burkitt's lymphoma.

Fecal-oral route of infection

The fecal-oral route of spread of intestinal infection is the most common and involves the removal of the pathogen from the infected organism during defecation. Then, pathogenic microorganisms, thanks to insects or lack of personal hygiene, penetrate the digestive system of a healthy person.

With the fecal-oral route of infection, the following routes of infection are possible:

• Negligent attitude to personal hygiene rules - unwashed hands, the presence of insects or rodents in the room, contaminated kitchen utensils.
• Insufficient heat treatment of food - it is known that pathogenic microorganisms die only at temperatures above 70 ° C. This especially applies to the processing of meat and fish products - after all, it is animals and fish that most often consume water from contaminated reservoirs.
• Improper food storage, for example, storing meat and prepared meals on the same refrigerator shelf. In this case, pathogenic microorganisms from raw meat penetrate other products, and then enter directly into the human digestive tract.
• Eating stale or low-quality food.
• Long-term storage of prepared meals without refrigeration, which can lead to rapid proliferation of pathogenic microorganisms.

Intestinal infections are especially active in the summer - hot and humid weather conditions contribute to the increased proliferation of pathogenic microorganisms. This is due to the fact that in the heat, food spoils very quickly, and therefore storing it without refrigeration can lead to intestinal diseases. The greatest danger is posed by meat and fish products, fresh vegetables and fruits.

In most cases, pathogenic microorganisms enter food through insects. Also, insufficiently heat-treated foods, unwashed vegetables and fruits pose a huge danger.

Carriers of intestinal disease can be not only people, but also pets, birds, rodents, and insects. If a pet is a source of infection, pathogenic microorganisms easily penetrate food products - milk, cottage cheese, eggs.

On two fronts

It is not only the elderly and patients with chronic cardiovascular and respiratory diseases that have the poorest prognosis when infected with coronavirus. People with gastrointestinal diseases are also at risk. Not only do they become more easily infected with COVID‑19, but they also become much more seriously ill and die more often. The fact is that, affecting both the respiratory system and the gastrointestinal tract at the same time, the infection forces the body to “fight on two fronts.” When viruses attack, intestinal permeability increases significantly, causing a huge amount of toxins to enter the blood from the intestines.

An alarming sign. Gastrointestinal upset may be a symptom of COVID-19 Read more

But that's not all. After all, by striking the digestive tract, the virus further damages the immune system. After all, the functioning of the immune system largely depends on the condition of the intestines; it is not without reason that 85–90% of immune cells are concentrated in this organ. There, in the intestines, they have a “school” where immune cells, constantly in contact with harmful bacteria, undergo differentiation, that is, they learn to resist infection.

Drinking water as a source of infection

Very often, pathogens are transmitted through drinking water. Natural water bodies often contain animal feces, industrial waste, or sewage water. As a result, drinking raw, unboiled running water can lead to an intestinal infection.

The fecal-oral method of contracting an intestinal infection is characterized not only by infection during the consumption of contaminated drinking water, but also when swimming in such a body of water, if a person dives and swallows the water.

How to avoid contracting intestinal infections through drinking water?

What is a viral infection

A viral infection is a disease caused by infectious microorganisms, viruses, that penetrate the cells of a living organism and use its mechanisms to reproduce.

A virus is essentially a microorganism whose size ranges from 10 nanometers (0.000000001 m) to several microns (0.0000001 m), so it is on average 100 times smaller than a normal cell. The virus has such a structure that it can only survive as a parasite.

To perform its vital functions, it needs to colonize the host organism and gain access to biochemical replication mechanisms. Therefore, viruses infect the cells of living organisms, capture them and colonize them. Once inside a cell, the virus embeds its genetic code into DNA or RNA, thereby forcing the host cell to reproduce the virus.

As a rule, as a result of such infection, the cell loses its natural functions and dies (apoptosis), but manages to replicate new viruses that infect other cells. In this way, a general infection of the entire body develops.

There are categories of viral infections that, instead of killing the host cell, change its characteristics and functions. And it may happen that the natural process of cell division will be disrupted and it will turn into a cancer cell.

Prevention of intestinal infection

To prevent diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, several rules must be carefully followed. The most important condition is regular hand washing with soap. In this case, hands should be washed not only after walking outside or visiting the toilet, but also after handling meat or fish products, peeling fruits and vegetables. When traveling, be sure to use special antibacterial sprays or disinfectant wipes.

All berries, vegetables and fruits should be thoroughly washed several times before eating. Under no circumstances should you buy fruit and vegetable products with defects - cracks or dents. All food products must be stored only in the refrigerator, in different departments.

Following simple preventive rules will help prevent the development of intestinal infections.

The most common intestinal infections

An infectious disease is a kind of process that begins when the pathogen enters the human body and continues when it multiplies and hidden or obvious signs of infection appear.

Characteristics of intestinal diseases:

• form a large group of diseases with a characteristic localization of the infectious process in the intestine;
• routes of transmission of intestinal infections - fecal-oral route;
• pathogens of intestinal infections leave the body in feces or urine, and can then be transmitted orally or even (in some cases) by airborne droplets.

We are talking about a group of diseases, infection of which can be caused by:

• bacteria (Salmonella, Shigella, Campylobacter, E. coli);
• viruses (rotavirus, hepatitis A virus, polio virus);
• parasites (roundworms, amoebas);
• bacterial toxins (staphylococcal enterotoxin, clostridia toxins).

How does a virus become infected?

Infection occurs when the virus is able to penetrate the body, overcoming its natural defensive barriers. Once in the body, it multiplies either at the site of penetration, or, with the help of blood and/or lymph, reaches the target organ.

Obviously, the method by which viruses are transmitted plays an important role.

The most common are:

• Entry via the fecal-oral route;
• Inhalation;
• Insect bites and therefore the cutaneous route;
• Through microscopic damage to the mucous membrane of the genital apparatus of men and women;
• Through direct contact with blood (use of used syringes or toilet items);
• Vertical transmission from mother to fetus through the placenta.

How is intestinal infection transmitted?

One of the most important factors in the transmission of intestinal infections. Water becomes contaminated by the leakage of faecal matter from surface water and soil into drinking water sources or due to failures in water supplies. In exceptional cases, it may become contaminated by the hands of carriers or subjects. The most common illness transmitted through drinking water is typhoid, as well as dysentery and viral hepatitis A.

Food can be:

1. Primary contaminated: products from sick animals/poultry.
2. Secondarily contaminated: food contaminated by animal excretions, the dirty hands of people in contact with it, surface water, soil, flies and other insects.

The infectious agent can also affect the gastrointestinal tract when consuming dirty, unpeeled vegetables and fruits.

Intestinal infections are most often transmitted by consuming contaminated meat, meat products, animal by-products and eggs that are not properly processed. During the processing of meat and eggs, the cause of infection may be:

• kitchenware;
• place where meat is processed;
• dirty hands.

The infectious agent can also affect the gastrointestinal tract through consumption of contaminated, unpeeled vegetables and fruits. Contamination occurs through artificial soil nutrition and irrigation with surface water; fruits are most often infected with fruit flies.

The soil

It is an environment that is initially contaminated with feces. If a person comes into contact with the soil, infection occurs.

Surface water

Easily contaminated by human and animal secretions. They can lead to contamination of drinking water sources and, less commonly, food, especially vegetables. If surface water is used for irrigation, it contaminates the fruits, which subsequently negatively affects human health. Some infections can be transmitted directly from surface water, for example, if a person swims in open water, pathogens enter the oral cavity, leading to damage to the skin and mucous membranes (shigella, infectious hepatitis A).

Dirty hands

When infection is transmitted through dirty hands, we are talking about bacteria such as Shigella, hepatitis A, and typhus. Pathogenic microorganisms enter the oral cavity through hands that have microscopic particles of feces or contaminated food left on them.

Flies are mechanical carriers of some intestinal infections. They carry pathogens from the secretions of patients or carriers. Shigella is most often transmitted this way. Fly transmission is one of the most common causes of increased incidence of these microorganisms in late summer and early autumn.

The most common viral infections

Each virus usually affects a specific type of cell, for example, cold viruses penetrate the cells of the respiratory tract, rabies and encephalitis viruses infect cells of the central nervous system. Below you will find the most common viral infections.

They, of course, occur most often and concern the nose and nasopharynx, throat, upper and lower respiratory tract.

Viruses that most often affect the respiratory system:

• Rhinoviruses are responsible for the common cold, which affects the epithelium of the nose, throat and upper respiratory tract. It is transmitted through nasal secretions and enters the body through the mouth, nose or eyes. Less commonly, colds spread through the air.
• Orthomyxovirus, in its various variants, is responsible for influenza. There are two types of influenza viruses: A and B, and each type has many different strains. The influenza virus strain mutates constantly, each year bringing a new virus that is different from the previous one. Influenza attacks the upper and lower respiratory tract, lungs and is spread through respiratory droplets from coughing and sneezing.
• Adenoviruses are responsible for pharyngitis and sore throat.

Viral upper respiratory tract infections are most common in adults, while viral lower respiratory tract infections are more common in newborns and children, as well as laryngitis, which is common in newborns, tracheitis, bronchitis and pneumonia.

There are many diseases of viral origin that affect the skin, many of them affect mainly children, for example, measles, chicken pox, rubella, mumps, warts. In this area, herpes viruses, which include the varicella zoster virus, are of particular importance.

There are 8 different types, numbered 1 to 8. Infections with type 2 herpes virus are especially common: Epstein-Barr virus, which causes monoculosis, and cytomegalovirus. Herpes virus type 8 causes cancer in immunocompromised patients with AIDS.

Some of the described viral infections are very dangerous during pregnancy (rubella and cytomegalovirus) because they are highly likely to cause fetal malformations and miscarriages.

Infections of the gastrointestinal tract are caused by rotaviruses, hepatitis viruses, and noroviruses. Rotaviruses are transmitted through feces and most often affect children and adolescents and present with characteristic gastrointestinal symptoms: nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain and diarrhea. Hepatitis viruses are transmitted through the consumption of contaminated food. Noroviruses are transmitted by the fecal-oral route, but can also enter the respiratory tract and cause influenza-like syndromes involving the gastrointestinal tract, and consequently diarrhea and vomiting.

Viruses that affect the reproductive organs of men and women include the herpes virus, human papillomavirus, and human immunodeficiency virus.

Special mention deserves the infamous HIV, which causes acquired immunodeficiency syndrome, which is reflected in a sharp decrease in the effectiveness of the immune system.

Most common infections

Salmonellosis

This is an acute gastrointestinal disease with a short incubation period caused by bacteria of the genus Salmonella, the most common of which is Salmonella Enteritidis.

Clinical picture: the disease begins with sudden fever, weakness, loss of appetite, nausea, colicky abdominal pain. Diarrhea soon follows, sometimes up to 30 times a day, and blood may be present in the stool.

The bacterium is quickly destroyed at temperatures above 60 ºС, in an acidic environment (pH 2) and under the influence of conventional disinfectants.

Clinical picture: abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, temperature about 39 ºС, diarrhea.

Treatment: the disease usually resolves within 1–3 days with symptomatic therapy. Rehydration and intestinal disinfection are important.

Shigellosis

This is an extremely contagious disease caused by the Shigella bacterium, usually Shigella dysenteriae, Sh. flexneri, Sh. sonnei.

The peak incidence occurs at the end of summer. Bacteria are very sensitive to environmental influences and are destroyed when dried. The incubation period is up to one week, usually 3 days.

Clinical picture: the disease begins with sudden fever, weakness, decreased appetite, nausea, abdominal pain, and colic. Diarrhea soon follows, sometimes up to 30 times a day, and blood may be present in the stool.

Treatment: rehydration, intestinal disinfection, analgesics, antibiotics are prescribed only if necessary.

Hepatitis A

The disease is caused by the hepatitis A virus. The virus is resistant to cold, high temperature and conventional disinfection, so it can persist outside the human body for a long time, for example, in soil, canals, water, and products.

The disease is seasonal, with peak incidence occurring in autumn and early winter.

The incubation period ranges from 2 weeks to almost 2 months, usually lasting about 25 days.

1. In-hardware form: occurs without symptoms, only with the creation of antibodies.
2. Asymptomatic: There are no symptoms of the disease, changes in blood tests and liver function tests are detected. Thus, affected individuals show no signs of illness and are unknowingly spreading the infection.
3. Anicteric form: without yellowing, with flu-like symptoms: excessive fatigue, weakness, fever, sometimes headache, runny nose and cough. Appetite decreases, even to the point of aversion to food, nausea, vomiting, a feeling of a full stomach, and stomach pain occur.
4. Jaundiced form: After initial symptoms, yellowing of the skin and whites of the eyes develops. Urine becomes dark in color, and feces become light in color.

Possible complications and consequences

In healthy people, intestinal infections rarely cause additional problems. Mild dehydration is the most common consequence. Infants and the elderly are at greater risk of severe dehydration.

For people with weak immune systems (for example, patients undergoing chemotherapy or people with HIV infection or AIDS), the infectious agent can spread throughout the body, causing generalized illness or even death.

More specific complications of intestinal infections vary:

1. Salmonellosis and shigellosis can lead to Reiter's syndrome, which is characterized by joint pain, eye inflammation, and difficulty and pain when urinating.
2. Campylobacteriosis can cause Guillain-Barré syndrome: an inflammation of the nerve that causes muscle weakness or paralysis. Salmonellosis can lead to arthritis, meningitis, brain abscesses and bone infections.
3. Escherichiosis can cause hemolytic uremic syndrome, a disease that can progress to kidney failure and severe anemia.

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Treatment methods

In a person with a strong immune system, the disease occurs in a mild form and does not require medication. Proven regimens for treating intestinal infections at home are highlighted. Follow your diet and drink plenty of fluids. If there is no improvement, consult a doctor at your nearest clinic. To treat patients, test results, signs of the disease, and the form of diarrhea are taken into account.

The tasks of doctors before the patient:

1. Eliminate pathogenic microorganisms.
2. Normalize the gastrointestinal tract system, achieve healthy stool.
3. Avoid intoxication of the body.

It is not easy to choose drugs to treat intestinal infections. To combat harmful pathogens, antibacterial treatments are used - Ciprofloxacin, Levomycetin, Metronidazole. Amoxiclav gave positive results. An infectious disease specialist will be able to determine the type of antibiotic.

Severe forms of intoxication are treated in hospital. Patients with dehydration syndrome are given IVs. For rotavirus, the drugs Regidron and Oralit are used internally. It's easy to make a saline solution at home instead of medicine.

Sorbents - Smecta, Enterosgel, Filtrum - fight intestinal disorders. The listed drugs are used as remedies for poisoning.

Treatment of intestinal infections in adults involves taking eubiotics (probiotics). The type of probiotics depends on the type of intestinal disease. If the patient is diagnosed with a bacterial intestinal infection, Linex and Bifidin are taken. For rotavirus and enterovirus infections, Lactobacterin and Primadophilus are prescribed. Fungal intestinal diseases are treated in combination with Bifidumbacterin, Probifor. Homeopathy offers an antiviral drug Immunetics in the treatment of intestinal diseases.

Treatment of intestinal infection is accompanied by mandatory adherence to a gentle diet during the disease and recovery period. To prevent further growth of pathogenic microbes, patients are advised to abstain from food during the acute phase of the disease.

Drinking during intestinal infections is plentiful and healthy. The diet includes clean water, fresh dried fruit compotes, jelly, and rice water.

To cure an infected patient, the menu includes porridge without salt, slimy soups, low-fat poultry, meat, and bread in the form of crackers. Food is prepared exclusively steamed, boiled, or baked. Products for diarrhea include blueberries, strongly brewed tea, bird cherry, and pumpkin. Exclude dairy and lactic acid products, confectionery products, vegetables, fruits that cause fermentation (beets, legumes, grapes), strong meat and fish soups from the menu of patients. You can eat your usual food after normal bowel function.

Weakness after a severe intestinal infection persists for more than a week.

Features of the course in childhood

Symptoms and treatment in adults and children are similar. Children's gastrointestinal infections are more pronounced. The causes of infection in a child are the consumption of dairy products of undesirable quality, unboiled water, unwashed vegetables and fruits, and a sick adult. A child of the first and second year of life puts everything into his mouth, which is why he picks up an infection faster. Frequent intestinal diseases in infants are rotavirus and enterovirus infections, dysentery, and salmonellosis. If a child gets sick in kindergarten, the infection spreads as quickly as possible; children are highly contagious.

Regardless of the type of pathogenic microorganism, signs of intestinal infection are characterized by increased body temperature (reaches up to 39 degrees), diarrhea, and vomiting. The baby begins to feel chills. Intestinal infections lead to dehydration in every second story. Intoxication manifests itself in severe thirst, decreased or stopped urination, and dry mouth. The child does not play, does not show appetite, and sleeps. In severe forms, the fontanelle sinks, the skin turns gray, and the child sharply loses weight. First aid consists of calling a doctor and hospitalizing the child - dehydration is dangerous for children. Examples of the consequences of intoxication are cerebral edema, convulsions, death.

In mild forms of the disease, it is possible to treat the infection in the child at home. Infected children are treated with clean water and detoxification medications (Regidron). The liquid is given in small portions so as not to cause a repeated attack of vomiting. Doctors believe that an enema will help improve the patient’s condition.

Tablets for intestinal infections are prescribed to children by a doctor. Among the antibiotics, Enterofuril is prescribed in the form of a suspension - allowed for children from 1 month. Stopdiar is suitable for eliminating the symptoms of intestinal disorders in young children. The drug contains nifuroxazide, which eliminates pathogenic bacteria. You can give medicine for intestinal infections from the second month of a baby’s life. Cycloferon will help get rid of rotavirus infection. The duration of use is determined by the doctor.

Children under 4 months should not be given fermented milk mixtures. If the child is breastfed, do not refuse feeding. Mother's milk will help the baby cope with the viral infection faster. For older children, cereal porridges with water (rice, buckwheat), dietary meat products (chicken fillet, turkey, hare), low-fat kefir, and cottage cheese are suitable. After treatment, new products are introduced after 2-3 weeks when the baby’s stool normalizes. Often after diarrhea the child has severe constipation.

If your child often suffers from intestinal infections, consult an immunologist. The doctor will prescribe a course of general strengthening medications (vitamins A, B, C).

Before treating children for intestinal diseases, it is better to prevent them. Teach your child to cleanliness from early childhood!

The appearance of the first signs in children

The most common types of acute intestinal infections in children are caused by viruses, bacteria or parasites. And almost all of them include diarrhea. Most of these diseases are contagious to others.

Viral form of the disease

Young children are at risk of exposure to a variety of germs, mainly because they fail to use basic hygiene products such as soap and toilet paper, and neglect routines such as washing their hands and covering their mouths when coughing or sneezing.

Children in kindergarten and school can easily spread viruses during group games.

Pathologies caused by bacteria

Many agents that cause gastric and intestinal pathologies are also called traveler's diarrhea. We pick them up when we travel abroad to countries that don't use the same sanitation practices that we do here.

At the same time, there are a lot of infectious bacteria everywhere. Children are very common spreaders of this type of germs because they usually don't wash their hands after going to the toilet, so the germs are spread through contact with feces.

Parasitic etiology of the disease

Most parasitic pathologies are not as serious as is commonly believed. In fact, you will never know if your child has worms, because the infection most often occurs hidden, only sometimes manifesting itself in an acute form.

However, if your infant has persistent diarrhea and the cause is unclear, this etiology of the disorder must be considered.

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Preventive measures

Preventive measures to take are compliance with sanitary rules: washing hands with soap, processing fruits and vegetables, normalizing the functioning of the intestines and stomach. There is no vaccine against intestinal infection.

After visiting the street, public events, or the toilet, wash your hands. It is better to limit the consumption of lactic acid products and mayonnaise in the summer. Do not leave food in the kitchen overnight; store it in the refrigerator. If you detect an unpleasant odor from meat or rot in canned goods, mercilessly part with them. Raw produce is more likely to harbor microbes. Try to purchase products from trusted stores. Vegetables and fruits need to be washed carefully; it is better to give them to children without the skin. Drink boiled water and do not allow children to drink from the tap.

If a family member becomes infected with an intestinal infection, take preventive measures:

1. Provide an individual towel for the patient.
2. Wash infected utensils thoroughly.
3. Treat floor surfaces, door handles, and plumbing fixtures with chlorine.

Pediatricians who care for children must teach adults sanitary and hygienic standards (consultation for parents during routine examinations of infants).

Infectious diseases are common and have serious consequences. It is better to warn them than to take medications.