Dysentery is an illness involving severe diarrhea that is often associated with blood in the feces. It is caused by ingestion of food containing bacteria, causing a disease in which inflammation of the intestines affect the body significantly. There are two major types: shigellosis, which is caused by one of several type of Shigella bacteria; and amoebic dysentery, which is caused by the amoeba Entamoeba histolytica. Diarrhea or diarrhoea (see spelling differences) is a condition in which the sufferer has frequent loose bowel movements (from the ancient Greek word διαρροή = leakage; lit. ... Human blood smear: a - erythrocytes; b - neutrophil; c - eosinophil; d - lymphocyte. ... Rabbit feces are usually 8-10 mm in diameter, dry to the touch, and look similar to a raisin. ... Species S. boydii S. dysenteriae S. flexneri Shigella are Gram-negative, nonmotile, non-spore forming rod-shaped bacteria closely related to the E. coli. ... Phyla/Divisions Actinobacteria Aquificae Bacteroidetes/Chlorobi Chlamydiae/Verrucomicrobia Chloroflexi Chrysiogenetes Cyanobacteria Deferribacteres Deinococcus-Thermus Dictyoglomi Fibrobacteres/Acidobacteria Firmicutes Fusobacteria Gemmatimonadetes Nitrospirae Omnibacteria Planctomycetes Proteobacteria Spirochaetes Thermodesulfobacteria Thermomicrobia Thermotogae Bacteria (singular, bacterium) are a major group of living organisms. ... Amoeba (also spelled ameba) is a genus of protozoa that moves by means of temporary projections called pseudopods, and is well-known as a representative unicellular organism. ... Entamoeba histolytica is an anaerobic parasitic protozoan, classified as an entamoebid. ...

Etiology

Shigellosis

A patient with shigellosis will often recover without antibiotic treatment. However, treatment by antibiotics is usually recommended because the disease is relatively severe, and it is highly contagious. It can be transmitted by "fomites", for example clothes, doorknobs, toilet seats, etc. The antibiotics norfloxacin, ampicillin and co-trimoxazole may be used. Hospitalization may be required if the disease becomes serious. An antibiotic is a drug that kills or slows the growth of bacteria. ... A fomite is any inanimate object or substance supposed to be capable of absorbing, retaining, and transporting contagious or infectious organisms (from germs to parasites) from one individual to another. ... Norfloxacin is an oral broad-spectrum quinoline antibacterial agent used in the treatment of urinary tract infections. ... Ampicillin is an aminopenicillin and, as such, is a broad-spectrum antibiotic and has been used extensively to treat bacterial infections since 1961. ... Co-trimoxazole (abbreviated SXT) is a bacteriostatic antibiotic combination of trimethoprim and sulfamethoxazole, in the ratio of 1 to 5, used in the treatment of a variety of bacterial infections. ...

See shigellosis for more information.

Amoebic dysentery

Amoebic dysentery is transmitted by contaminated water, and is well known as a "travelers dysentery" because of its prevalence in developing nations, or "Montezuma's Revenge" (particularly in Mexico), although it is occasionally seen in industrialized countries. Liver infection, and subsequent amoebic abscesses can occur. It can be treated with metronidazole or related azole drugs. Water (from the Old English waeter; c. ... Montezumas Revenge (var. ... The liver is the largest internal organ of the human body. ... Metronidazole (INN) (IPA: ) is a nitroimidazole antibiotic drug used in the treamtent of infections caused by susceptible organisms particularly anaerobic bacteria and protozoa. ... An azole is a class of five-membered nitrogen heterocyclic ring compounds containing at least one other noncarbon atom, nitrogen, sulfur or oxygen. ...

Symptoms

The main symptom of epidemic dysentery is bloody diarrhea. Other common symptoms include abdominal cramps, fever and rectal pain. Less frequent complications can include a form of blood poisoning known as sepsis, seizure and kidney failure. In epidemiology, an epidemic (from Greek epi- upon + demos people) is a disease that appears as new cases in a given human population, during a given period, at a rate that substantially exceeds what is expected, based on recent experience (the number of new cases in the population during a... Sepsis (in Greek Σήψις, putrefaction) is a serious medical condition caused by a severe infection. ... Human kidneys viewed from behind with spine removed The kidneys are bean-shaped excretory organs in vertebrates. ...

This condition is caused by amoebae, tiny organisms that exist as parasites and are spread through contaminated food and water when either is swallowed. From ingestion, they move into the intestines via the stomach. Amoebae spread by forming infective cysts which can be found in feces and spread if whoever touches it does not wash their hands. There are also free amoebae, or “trophozoites”, that do not form cysts.

People at risk

Dysentery often poses a major threat in crowded areas with inadequate sanitation, poor hygiene and limited supplies of safe water. For instance, it was a major problem among soldiers in the trenches of the first world war, where sanitation was, at best, rudimentary. The disease is more likely to thrive in hot, humid and rainy conditions. Sanitation vehicle in New York City. ... Hygiene is the maintenance of healthy practices. ... Water (from the Old English waeter; c. ... Sanitation vehicle in New York City. ...

Treatment

In adults, dysentery caused by bacteria usually subsides spontaneously. But in children, and other vulnerable groups, the condition can be treated with antibiotics. However, Shigella dysenteriae type 1 (Sd1) has, in recent years, become increasingly resistant to drug treatments. Among people who have become dehydrated as a result of the disease, the key is to replenish their fluid stocks as quickly as possible. This can be done using oral rehydration salts or intravenous fluids. Amoebic dysentery is usually treated with a combination of drugs. These include an amoebicide to kill the parasite, an antibiotic to treat any associated bacterial infection, and a drug to combat infection of the liver and other tissues. A parasite is an organism that spends a significant portion of its life in or on the living tissue of a host organism and which causes harm to the host without immediately killing it. ... An antibiotic is a drug that kills or slows the growth of bacteria. ... Infection is also the title of an episode of the television series Babylon 5, and the English title of the Japanese film Kansen. ... The liver is the largest internal organ of the human body. ...

Cultural significance

• Dysentery was the cause of death of Liu Bei first emperor of the kingdom of Shu.
• Dysentery was the cause of death of Juana Maria, "The Lost Woman of San Nicolas."
• Dysentery was the cause of death of Henry V, King of England.
• Dysentery was the cause of death for many victims of concentration camps in World War II, including Elie Wiesel's father Shlomo Wiesel.
• Dysentery played a crucial role in the classic computer game, "Oregon Trail".
• On RocketBoom, Monday May 22, 2006, Amanda Congdon wore a t-shirt: "You have died of dysentery", with a graphic of a wagon - a reference to Oregon Trail (above).
• Dysentery Gary was a song written by Blink-182.
• Dysentery was the cause of death of Sir Francis Drake, who sailed around the world from 1577-80.
• Dysentery was the cause of death of Butch Coolidge's father in Pulp Fiction

Liu Bei (劉備;161 – 223), courtesy name Xuande(玄徳), was a powerful warlord and the founding emperor of the Kingdom of Shu during the Three Kingdoms era in ancient China. ... The Kingdom of Shu (蜀 shǔ) (221 – 263) was one of the Three Kingdoms competing for control of China after the fall of the Han Dynasty. ... Juana Maria (died October 18, 1853), better known to history as The Lost Woman of San Nicolas (her Indian name is unknown), was a Native American woman who lived alone on San Nicolas Island from 1835 until her discovery in 1853. ... Henry V, (August 9 or September 16, 1387 – August 31, 1422), King of England (1413-1422), son of Henry IV by Mary de Bohun, was born at Monmouth, Wales, in August or September 1386 or 1387. ... A concentration camp is a large detention centre created for political opponents, aliens, specific ethnic or religious groups, civilians of a critical war-zone, or other groups of people, often during a war. ... Combatants Allies: Poland, British Commonwealth, France/Free France, Soviet Union, United States, China, and others Axis Powers: Germany, Italy, Japan, and others Casualties Military dead: 17 million Civilian dead: 33 million Total dead: 50 million Military dead: 8 million Civilian dead: 4 million Total dead: 12 million World War II... Elie Wiesel Eliezer Wiesel (commonly known as Elie) (born September 30, 1928) is a world-renowned American novelist, philosopher, humanitarian, political activist, and Holocaust survivor. ... The Oregon Trail is an edutainment computer game about American pioneer life that has a long history in North American school districts and homes. ... The title given to this article is incorrect due to technical limitations. ... Sir Francis Drake, c. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with Pulp Fiction. ... Pulp Fiction is a 1994 film directed by Quentin Tarantino and written by Tarantino and Roger Avary. ...

References