Diarrhoea may be defined as unusual frequency of bowel action (usually at least three times in a 24 hour period), passing loose, watery, unformed faeces. The consistency of the stools is more important than the frequency: frequently passed formed stools are not considered to be diarrhoea. It may be associated with symptoms such as abdominal cramps, nausea and malaise, and with vomiting, fever and consequent dehydration. Patients with visible blood and mucus in the faeces suggesting inflammation of the bowel, accompanied by symptoms such as abdominal cramps and constitutional disturbance, may be said to be suffering from dysentery.
A wide range of bacterial pathogens, viruses and parasites are capable of causing diarrhoea by a number of mechanisms. Routine screening of faecal samples includes screening for Salmonella species, Shigella species, E.coli 0157 and Campylobacter species.
Additional Screening;
Vibrio cholera can be requested if there is suspicion that the patient has ingested contaminated water or seafood or travelled to endemic areas.
Yersinia enterocolitica which causes Yersiniosis is a zoonotic infection. Y. enterocolitica can be isolated from wild and domestic animals, environmental samples and food samples.
