Gastroenteritis causes

Gastroenteritis Microchapters
Patient Information
Overview
Classification
Differential Diagnosis
Prevention

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Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1]

Causes

• Viral gastroenteritis is a leading cause of severe diarrhea in both adults and children. Many types of viruses can cause gastroenteritis. The most common ones are:
  • Astrovirus: The third significant viral agent is astrovirus.
  • Enteric adenovirus
  • Norovirus (also called Norwalk-like virus): It is common among school-age children.At least 50% of cases of gastroenteritis as foodborne illness are due to norovirus.
  • Rotavirus: The leading cause of severe gastroenteritis in children. It can also infect adults exposed to children with the virus. Outbreaks may also occur in nursing homes. These viruses are often found in contaminated food or drinking water. Symptoms of viral gastroenteritis usually appear within 4 - 48 hours after exposure to the contaminated food or water.

• Bacterial gastroenteritis
  • Salmonella
  • Shigella
  • Staphylococcus
  • Campylobacter jejuni
  • Clostridium
  • E. coli
  • Yersinia

Some sources of the infection are improperly prepared food, reheated meat dishes, seafood, dairy, and bakery products. Each organism causes slightly different symptoms but all result in diarrhea. Colitis, inflammation of the large intestine, may also be present.