Question 1

how long does fecal bacteria live?

Accepted Answer

Bacterial survival: Many gram-negative species, such as acinetobacter spp., escherichia coli, klebsiella spp., pseudomonas aeruginosa, serratia marcescens, or shigella spp. Can survive on inanimate surfaces for months. These are some of the organisms present in feces.  The anaerobes may die more rapidly if exposed to elemental oxygen.

Question 2

how much fecal bacteria does it take to get you sick?  i may have ingested traces of it :(

Accepted Answer

Probably no worries: If the source of contact is well, almost certainly you won&#x27;t get sick. For infected feces, the amount to transmit can be microscopic (e.g. norovirus, Shigella) but more for others (e.g. Salmonella). Every day we all contact small amounts of fecal bacteria (e.g. sex, shaking hands w/ someone who didn&#x27;t wash after toilet, pets, sinks, etc). Mostly it&#x27;s harmless, and to some extent actually healthy.

Question 3

is fecal bacteria really unhealthy compared to other bacteria when you are pregnant?

Accepted Answer

Depends: Everyone is colonized with different types of bacteria.  Some live in your mouth, some your colon,  your skin, and for women - the vagina.  As long as everything stays where it's supposed to, you shouldn't have any problems.

Question 4

is a clean uterus at risk of infection from bowel full of fecal bacteria?

Accepted Answer

No: They are anatomically separate in the body.

Question 5

if i had a little poop in my underwear from leakage due to hemorrhoid, and then touched my laundry when loading into the washer, and then went about my day, could i get someone seriously sick from fecal bacteria? i'm ocd about spreading illness?

Accepted Answer

: No risk at all. You will never get ill from exposure to your own fecal bacteria. With rare exceptions, bacteria IN you are safe ON you.

Question 6

if i had a little poop in my underwear from leakage due to hemorrhoid, and then touched my laundry when loading into the washer, and then went about my day, could i get someone else seriously sick from fecal bacteria? i'm ocd about spreading illness?

Accepted Answer

: Duplicate question, see previous reply. No significant risk to anyone from this.

Question 7

could fecal bacteria cause pink eye?

Accepted Answer

Yes : Enterococci bacteria can cause conjunctivitis.  Appropriate antibiotic drops are needed to treat it.

Question 8

my fecal lactoferrin level was high at 22, negative for infections, other than norovirus. i thought only bacteria increased fl. could it be start ibd?

Accepted Answer

Possibly: I have no experience with the use of Lactoferrin and I do not know what kind of symptoms you are experiencing. 
There is a post infectious irritable bowel described over the last few years. In my opinion best will be for you to initiate a log with food and drinks that you have and the type of symptoms- say bloating, diarrhea, etc. Once you have couple of weeks see your gastroenterologist.

Question 9

my stool report says bacteria=present. does that mean good bacteria or bad bacteria?

Accepted Answer

Lab data: You would have to ask the laboratory to be certain, but the impression is that they are simply stating that bacteria are present, which is  not surprising since 95-98% of dried fecal matter is bacteria. If there were specific pathogens (bad bacteria) present would imagine that they would have specifically identified these.

Question 10

what are very small carrot looking pieces in my stool? could it be some type of bacteria? they are so small you wouldn't see them at normal glance

Accepted Answer

Undigested remnants: Our stools are composed of many "ingredients" Food may sometimes make an appearance in the feces.Common undigested foods found in human feces are seeds,nuts,corn and beans mainly because of their high dietary fiber content.in medicine to diagnose the presence or absence of a medical condition,a stool sample is sometimes requested for testing purposes.So your MD will have you submit a sample if nec

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Doctor answers about:

Fecal bacteria

A member asked:

How long does fecal bacteria live?

A member asked:

How much fecal bacteria does it take to get you sick? i may have ingested traces of it :(

A member asked:

Is fecal bacteria really unhealthy compared to other bacteria when you are pregnant?

A member asked:

Is a clean uterus at risk of infection from bowel full of fecal bacteria?

A member asked:

If i had a little poop in my underwear from leakage due to hemorrhoid, and then touched my laundry when loading into the washer, and then went about my day, could i get someone seriously sick from fecal bacteria? i'm ocd about spreading illness?

A member asked:

If i had a little poop in my underwear from leakage due to hemorrhoid, and then touched my laundry when loading into the washer, and then went about my day, could i get someone else seriously sick from fecal bacteria? i'm ocd about spreading illness?

A member asked:

Could fecal bacteria cause pink eye?

A member asked:

My fecal lactoferrin level was high at 22, negative for infections, other than norovirus. i thought only bacteria increased fl. could it be start ibd?

A member asked:

My stool report says bacteria=present. does that mean good bacteria or bad bacteria?

A member asked:

What are very small carrot looking pieces in my stool? could it be some type of bacteria? they are so small you wouldn't see them at normal glance

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