Intestinal Disorders News

Twenty cases of Salmonella enteritidis, including one hospitalization, have been reported in five states and may be a result of contaminated alfalfa sprouts.

Researchers from Germany said the blended virulence profile of the rare Escherichia coli 0104:H4 strain is what led to the high progression of 810 hemolytic uremic syndrome cases and 39 deaths that have occurred in Germany since the beginning of May, according to new findings published in The Lancet Infectious Diseases.

Despite a significant reduction in the past 15 years of Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli O157, Salmonella infection has not decreased and causes more hospitalizations and deaths than any other foodborne infection.

Escherichia coli is the likely cause of a food-borne outbreak in Germany that has led to nine deaths and 470 cases of hemolytic uremic syndrome since the second week of May.

FDA officials are discouraging parents of premature infants from feeding them a food-thickening agent, after receiving 15 reports of necrotizing enterocolitis, including two deaths, in infants that may be associated with this product.

Patients with inflammatory bowel disease should be screened for Clostridium difficile on hospital admission to protect them from serious morbidity and mortality, according to a study published online.

Sequential eradication therapy was slightly better at eradicating Helicobacter pylori when compared with the standard of care, triple therapy, but the difference was not significant, according to a study published online.

The CDC has issued updated guidelines for effective prevention and control of norovirus infection in response to substantial advances in norovirus epidemiology, immunology, diagnostic methods and infection control measures. The new guidelines, published in the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, expand and revise the norovirus guidelines for outbreak management and disease prevention from 2001.

Acute gastroenteritis, although not fatal, can have serious adverse effects, such as dehydration. If patients and their families plan to travel during spring break, counseling them on how to treat and prevent diarrhea before their departure may help them enjoy their time away.

An estimated 31 major pathogens acquired in the United States are responsible for 9.4 million instances of foodborne illness, according to a study reported in Emerging Infectious Diseases.