Enteric diseases are caused by viruses and bacteria that enter the body through contaminated food or liquids, and can lead to stomach pain, diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, and even death. Young children, the elderly, and travelers to foreign countries are most at risk. Vaccines and antibacterial cleaners can help prevent infection, but enteric pathogens are becoming more resistant to drugs.
Enteric diseases are infections caused by viruses and bacteria that enter the body through the mouth or intestinal system, mainly as a result of eating, drinking and digesting contaminated foods or liquids. Direct contact with contaminated feces or vomit is a secondary method of contracting enteric disorders. The name of this class of diseases comes from the Greek word enteron, which means intestine. Cholera, typhoid fever, salmonella and Escherichia coli, or E.coli, infections are some of the most common enteric diseases.
Stomach pain, diarrhea, nausea and vomiting are typical side effects of enteric diseases. However, death is also possible. Even if a strong immune system tries to fend off pathogens, diarrhea and nausea could cause severe dehydration. Depending on whether the infection is mild, moderate, or severe, enteric disease can last for days, weeks, months, or even years, leading to constant malnutrition and poor drug absorption.
In general, young children, infants, people with disabilities, and the elderly are most at risk of enteric disease due to weakened immune systems. Leisure travelers to foreign countries may also be sensitive to bacteria in food and water abroad. Healthcare workers, both abroad and in their own countries, can also be exposed to enteric pathogens originating from the blood, feces and vomit of patients. Overseas military employees and relief personnel responding to natural disasters also face increased risks of enteric disease.
Occasionally, diners are exposed to outbreaks of enteric disease when foodborne viruses or bacteria contaminate foods in fast-food restaurants, buffet restaurants, and even supermarkets. Fecal matter from animals or food handlers can infect home-grown or imported foods despite government regulations. Enteric diseases, because they spread easily, have the ability to affect large populations around the world. Global health organizations often collaborate and share strategies or safeguards to prevent mass poisonings and rapid spread of infection. These safeguards occasionally include quarantines and travel bans, especially when a communicable disease has been linked to a pattern of deaths.
Vaccines are often effective in preventing enteric infections. Antibacterial cleaners have been shown to be moderately to moderately effective in preventing hand-to-mouth contamination. These cleaning agents have also been cited as a factor in many enteric pathogens becoming stronger and more resistant to antibacterial drugs. In the course of treating an infected person, doctors often rely on antimicrobial drugs that prevent fluid loss, strengthen the immune system, and repair body tissue ravaged by enteric disease.
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