Question: What are the symptoms and treatment for intestinal bacterial infection?
Answer: Cholera, typhoid, bacillary dysentery, and other diseases are caused by intestinal bacterial infection.
These are harmful bacteria which multiply in the intestinal flora with other pathogens and under favorable condition flare up to cause disease.
Most of the bacterial infection of the intestine spreads through the oral route, the food we eat and the water we drink. This is because of improper hygiene.
Symptoms of Intestinal Bacterial Infection
- Fever
- Abdominal pain and cramps.
- Vomiting
- Lack of appetite
- Headache
- Dehydration
- Diarrhea watery in cholera, with rapid dehydration.
- Bloody stool in bacillary dysentery.
- Mucus in stool
Different type of intestinal bacterial infection can be ascertained by stool examination, blood examination, and clinical judgment.
Causes of Intestinal Bacterial Infection
- The main reason is eating unhygienic food and drink
- Improper stored food
- Improper cooked food
Treatment of Intestinal Bacterial Infection
- Treatment will depend on the degree of dehydration and patient’s toxicity. If the patient is toxic, and dehydrated he will require intravenous therapy to supplement fluid loss and antibacterial treatment with antibiotics under physician supervision.
- If the dehydration is absent and the patient is not toxic, than domiciliary treatment with home remedy can be undertaken with careful observation.
- Home remedy such as yogurt contains useful bacteria like lactobacillus plantarum which can bring the harmful bacteria under control.
- Peppermint oil is said to be useful in promoting healthy intestinal flora, and it can curtail the harmful effect of the infective bacteria.
- Other herbal remedies helpful in intestinal bacterial infection are grape seeds, garlic, turmeric powder, oregano oil.
- Do not consume starch and sugar during the diseased and recovery phase, as these will be a feeding ground for the bacteria.