Disease

Causative Agent

Gram Reaction and Morphology

Incubation Period

General Features of the Disease

Asiatic cholera

Vibrio cholerae

(water borne)

Vibrio

Usually 2-5 days

Mild to severe

Large amounts of mucus in stools (rice-water stools), sudden lose of water and electrolytes-dehydration, collapse, shock and death

Brucellosis (Malta fever, undulant fever)

Brucella abortus

(cattle)

B. melitensis (goat)

B. suis (swine)

Coccobacilli

1-3 weeks

Discomfort, weakness, muscle ache, pains, ­ temp late in the day, falling during the night, enlarged lymph

Gastroenteritis

1.Campylobacter fetus, subspecies jejuri

1.      Curved rods

1.      1-3 days, variable

1.  Mild to severe

Abdominal pain, diarrhea, fever, and bloody stools

Vibrio parahaemolyticus

Vibrio

4-96 hrs

abdominal cramps, nausea, watery diarrhea,  dehydration

Vibrio vulnificus

Vibrio

W/in 24 hrs

Malaise, chills, diahea, vomiting, rash

Yersinis enterocolitica

Coccobacillus

Symptoms appear suddenly, abdominal pain, diarrhea, dehydration, nausea, chills, vomiting, jaundice, weight loss

Pseudo-membranous colitis

Clostridium diffcile

G+, rod

2 wks following therapy

Fever diarrhea

Salmonellosis (gastrenteritis)

S. enteritidis

S. typhimurium

G-, rod

8-10 hrs up to 48 hrs

Symptoms appear suddenly, abdominal pain, diarrhea,dizziness, fever, headache, nausea, vomiting, poor appetitie

Disease

Causative Agent

Gram Reaction and Morphology

Incubation Period

General Features of Disease

Shigellosis (bacillary dysentery)

Shigella boydii

S. dysenteriae (water borne, US)

S. flexneri (south)

S. sonnei (north, most common)

G-, rod

1-14 days

Appear suddenly, abdominal pain, diarrhea, high fever, discomfort, stools w/mucus, blood, pus (red currant jelly), rectal burning, dehydration, massive bleeding, perforation of large intestine

Traveler's diarrhea

Entertoxin-producing E. coli strains & species of Salmonella and Shigella

G-, rod

2-5 days

Appear suddenly, abdominal pain, diarrhea, dehydration, nausea, chills, vomiting, jaundice, convulsions, weight loss

Typhoid Fever (most deadly)

Samonellosis

Enteric Fever

Salmonella typhi

G-, rod

Step rising fever

Petechial rash

1-2 weeks or longer

Appear gradually, abdominal distention, constipation, rising fever, headache, loss of appetite, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, appearance of rash (rose spots) on abdomen:  inflammation of gall bladder, perforation of small intestine, intestinal bleeding and pneumonia

Weil's Disease

(spirochetal jaundice, leptospirosis)

Leptospira interrogans

Leptospira occupational

Usually not done, Spiral

(Spirochaete)

2-20 days

Appear suddenly, lack of appetite, chest pains, head cold, difficulty swallowing, swollen lymph nodes, fever, vomiting, jaundice; complications are severe involvement of skin, CNS, kidneys, and liver