Question 1

i've got bacterial gastroenteritis. it's been a week. have been on medication. how long will i be contagious for? when would i know that it has gone?

Accepted Answer

Gastroenteritis: If you have a stool culture after 10-14 days of therapy and it is negative you will be considered non contagious.

Question 2

i have bacterial gastroenteritis. final stages of treatment. it's been a week. how long do i have to wait before i can kiss my girlfriend?

Accepted Answer

Till GE is gone: Wait till the gastroenteritis is completely resolved and continue to wash your hands and take precautions such as not sharing food or food utensils.

Question 3

prescribed cipro (ciprofloxacin) for bacterial gastroenteritis. is it safe?

Accepted Answer

Yes in adults: Ciprofloxacin is infrequently used in bacterial gastroenteritis. Soft tissue damage. E.G., tendon rupture, has been reported especially when used in children.

Question 4

can bacterial gastroenteritis spread through saliva i.e. kissing, etc? or would the other person get infected with it?

Accepted Answer

Not a concern: In general. You probably will not want to be around others too much anyway feeling like you do. Be aggressive seeing your GI doc and treating the issue.

Question 5

chronic diarrhea + frequent bouts of gastroenteritis. full gi workup (upper, lower, ct) within the last year, unremarkable. gei more frequent lately! can i do anything? would pro-biotics give protection against at least bacterial gastroenteritis?

Accepted Answer

Gastroenteritis: Gastroenteritis usually means that nausea, vomiting and diarrhea occur. I assume a gastroenterologist is involved in your workup. Probiotics may be worthwhile. A stool culture would look for pathogenic bacteria as well as parasites. Have certain food intolerances been ruled out?. A fodmap diet helps irritable bowel syndrome.

Question 6

i have bacterial gastroenteritis and diarrhea just got inside my vagina... will this harm my 7.2 week old fetus? will it infect my womb?  help?

Accepted Answer

Unlikely: I often tell patients that women's holes are close together and it is easy to get cross contamination. Take a bath and that should help with the diarrhea in the vagina. Chances are it did not go very deeply and not enough to create any harmful problems for baby.

Question 7

does bacterial or viral gastroenteritis have more severe symptoms?

Accepted Answer

Depends: It all depends on the bug, the severity of infection, and the person that gets infected. Severity can't be determined by virus vs. Bacteria. It is all by the individual player.

Question 8

does a positive ferrolactin during gastroenteritis mean it is a bacterial infection or could it also be a viral infection like norovirus or rotavirus?

Accepted Answer

: I assume you meant Lactoferrin stool test not Ferrolactin.
The presence of Lactoferrin only means there is bowel inflammation regardless of the causative agent, bacteria or virus.

Question 9

how longs bacterial gastroenteritis take to clear up without antibiotics?

Accepted Answer

Acute: : Acute bacterial gastroenteritis lasts 14 days or fewer than 14 days. It is essential to rest &amp; drink plenty of fluids with this condition.
Antibiotics are prescribed for severe cases that do not clear up naturally. Good hygiene practices are important to help prevent bacterial gastroenteritis. I wish you well with your health!

Question 10

14 year old. same gastroenteritis/stomach bug as rest of fam. before vomiting/dry-heaving she is getting "waves of terror"  common with stomach bug?

Accepted Answer

Depends on person: Some people react differently to sickness.  When she feels the wave of discomfort and know vomiting/dry heaves may be next, she could get fearful of this. Hopefully, the virus will resolve soon in time.  Best wishes.

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Doctor answers about:

Viral vs bacterial gastroenteritis

A member asked:

I've got bacterial gastroenteritis. it's been a week. have been on medication. how long will i be contagious for? when would i know that it has gone?

A member asked:

I have bacterial gastroenteritis. final stages of treatment. it's been a week. how long do i have to wait before i can kiss my girlfriend?

A member asked:

Prescribed cipro (ciprofloxacin) for bacterial gastroenteritis. is it safe?

A member asked:

Can bacterial gastroenteritis spread through saliva i.e. kissing, etc? or would the other person get infected with it?

A member asked:

Chronic diarrhea + frequent bouts of gastroenteritis. full gi workup (upper, lower, ct) within the last year, unremarkable. gei more frequent lately! can i do anything? would pro-biotics give protection against at least bacterial gastroenteritis?

A member asked:

I have bacterial gastroenteritis and diarrhea just got inside my vagina... will this harm my 7.2 week old fetus? will it infect my womb? help?

A member asked:

Does bacterial or viral gastroenteritis have more severe symptoms?

A member asked:

Does a positive ferrolactin during gastroenteritis mean it is a bacterial infection or could it also be a viral infection like norovirus or rotavirus?

A member asked:

How longs bacterial gastroenteritis take to clear up without antibiotics?

A member asked:

14 year old. same gastroenteritis/stomach bug as rest of fam. before vomiting/dry-heaving she is getting "waves of terror" common with stomach bug?

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