What are the symptoms of bacterial diarrhea?

Diarrhea is quite common in daily life and has many causes. Bacterial diarrhea is a symptom of diarrhea caused by bacteria. Clinically, it manifests as symptoms of various diseases. Mild cases will cause repeated diarrhea, severe cases will cause watery diarrhea, and will also cause abdominal pain and dehydration. It often causes fever symptoms, and more severe cases may even cause poisoning reactions in patients.

Clinical manifestations

1. Enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli infection

The onset is acute. Mild cases include watery diarrhea. Typical cases include sudden severe abdominal pain and watery stools. After a few days, bloody stools, abdominal pain, diarrhea, low-grade fever or no fever occur.

2. Yersinia infection

Gastroenteritis symptoms are prominent in infants and children, while enteritis is the main symptom in adults. The onset is acute, with fever, diarrhea, and abdominal pain as the main symptoms. The fever usually lasts 2 to 3 days, and the diarrhea usually lasts 1 to 2 days. In severe cases, it can last up to 1 to 2 weeks. The stool is mostly watery and contains mucus, and may contain blood and pus. Abdominal pain is common and may be limited to the right lower abdomen, and may be accompanied by muscle tension and rebound pain.

3. Proteus infection

Under certain conditions, it can cause a variety of infections, such as purulent infection, urinary tract infection, gastroenteritis, endocarditis, sepsis, etc. The main symptoms are fever, nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, and diarrhea. The abdominal pain is located in the upper abdomen and around the navel. The diarrhea occurs several times a day in mild cases and 20 to 30 times a day in severe cases.

4. Antibiotic-associated diarrhea

Most present with mild to moderate watery diarrhea, fever, abdominal distension, and scattered cramping pain in the lower or entire abdomen. In severe cases, mucus in the stool is also seen, and blood in the stool is rare. Severe complications include dehydration, hypoproteinemia, electrolyte imbalance, intestinal paralysis and intestinal perforation.

5. Traveler’s diarrhea

Usually, the disease has an acute onset (several hours to several days). About 40% of travelers' diarrhea patients have mild symptoms, while severe cases have obvious diarrhea symptoms accompanied by abdominal cramps, nausea, vomiting and fever.

6. AIDS-related diarrhea

Diarrhea is often the first symptom of AIDS and the cause of death. Patients often have symptoms such as fever, general discomfort, nausea, vomiting, anorexia and weight loss. Acute diarrhea usually lasts no more than two weeks, while chronic diarrhea usually lasts for weeks or months.