Gastrointestinal Tract Infections

Gastrointestinal infections, which present with acute diarrhea, sometimes accompanied by vomiting, are an extremely common medical complaint, with an annual incidence of 0.6 illnesses per person. Transmission can occur from animals to person, from person to person, or by the ingestion of contaminated foodstuffs. In the United States, more than 90% of cases are caused by viruses, with norovirus being by far the most common. Common among bacterial causes of acute gastrointestinal infection are Salmonella, Campylobacter, Shigella, Shiga toxin–producing Escherichia coli, Vibrio, Yersinia, and Clostridium difficile. These infections are typically self-limited, but depending on the etiologic agent and characteristics of the host, antibiotic therapy may be indicated. Certain gastrointestinal infections are associated with significant complications, including reactive arthritis, Guillain-Barré syndrome, or septicemia. This review contains 4 figures, 7 tables, and 60 references. Key words: Campylobacter, Escherichia coli, Guillain-Barré syndrome, reactive arthritis, Shiga toxin, Shigella, Vibrio, Yersinia