how to know if gastroentritis is due to bacteria as opposed to virus?
484220
It will take a medical lab, culture of a bowel specimen and the appropriate tests to determine that one.
821066
i think its gasteritis it comes from your stomach but is not as severe as food poising
1141249
Vomiting often result of stomach virus\n\nBy Tamara Shankel, MD\n\nAlmost every child experiences vomiting at some point. Most of the time vomiting is caused by different centers in the brain sending signals to the stomach.\n\nThe brain actually has a vomiting center, but other centers, such as the area affected by strong emotions, can also cause vomiting. The inner ear connects to a brain center that is responsible for the vomiting we experience with motion sickness.\n\nVomiting can also occur when your intestines are irritated and your stomach doesn't empty (this usually is the cause of vomiting with the stomach flu).\n\nThe most common cause of short-term vomiting is a stomach infection, which is usually caused by a virus. Viruses, unlike bacteria, do not respond to medication. Vomiting caused by a stomach virus will usually be accompanied by diarrhea, stomach cramping and a mild fever (101 degrees). Although it is much less common, bacteria can cause vomiting, along with a high fever (104 degrees) and diarrhea that may be bloody.\n\nThe parasite Giardia can also cause vomiting and watery diarrhea. Children get this infection by drinking water contaminated with Giardia, or from other infected children. Children in day care or children who have recently been camping are more likely to get Giardia. The infection can be diagnosed by a stool test and treated with an antibiotic.\n\nInfections outside of the stomach (such as kidney, lung and even ear infections) can also cause vomiting. They also cause high fevers and other symptoms. Your child may not have diarrhea, and this is a clue that the illness may be more than just the stomach flu. Even more serious infections such as meningitis can cause vomiting. A child over age two with meningitis will usually appear very ill and have a stiff neck and headache along with the vomiting. Younger children will also look very ill, but may just have fever and vomiting.\n\nPersistent vomiting may be due to pressure in the brain. Some brain tumors cause vomiting. Usually children with brain tumors also complain of headaches or other symptoms such as difficulty walking or imbalance.\n\nInfants often spit up because of a weak sphincter between the stomach and esophagus (tube connecting the mouth to the stomach).\n\nTrue, persistent vomiting in infants can be due to formula intolerance, and will usually be accompanied by loose stools and other symptoms.\n\nIf your child begins vomiting, let her stomach rest before giving her anything to eat or drink. The biggest risk from short-term vomiting is dehydration. Signs of dehydration include decreased urination, a dry mouth, sunken eyes, a sunken soft spot (on a baby's head) and lack of tears when crying.\n\nTo avoid dehydration, give your child frequent small amounts (a teaspoon) of liquid, such as Pedialyte. Larger amounts of liquid will cause the stomach to dilate, which will in turn cause more vomiting. If your child also has diarrhea, avoid milk and apple juice, as they can worsen the diarrhea.\n\nBreast milk is the exception; it's OK to continue breastfeeding in small amounts.\n\nTake your child to the doctor immediately if he or she:\n\n· Has persistent vomiting that lasts more than a day or two, especially if the vomiting is severe, accompanied by a lot of diarrhea, or doesn't improve.\n\n· Has vomit that is green in color, which could signal a serious intestinal problem.\n\n· Shows signs of dehydration.\n\n· Has blood in the vomit; anything more than a few flecks requires immediate medical care. Blood that has been in the stomach for a while before being vomited may look like coffee grounds.\n\n· Has vomiting accompanied by a high fever and bloody diarrhea.\n\n· Has trouble staying alert or seems very ill.\n\n· Has vomiting accompanied by a bad cough, trouble breathing, or pain while urinating.\n\n· Is a very young infant and has persistent vomiting, as some serious inherited diseases can be present at this age.\n\nMo
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ro·ta·vi·rus    ( P )  Pronunciation Key  (rt-vrs)\nn. pl. ro·ta·vi·rus·es \nAny of a group of wheel-shaped, RNA-contained viruses that cause gastroenteritis, especially in infants and newborn animals.
725039
Stomach flu is a viral infection that affects the stomach and small intestine. It is also called viral gastroenteritis. The illness is usually brief, lasting 1 to 3 days. . The virus can be spread by direct contact with an infected person (for example, kissing or shaking hands) or by sharing food, drink, or eating utensils. \n\nWhen you have stomach flu, you may have one or more of the following symptoms: \n\nnausea \nvomiting \nstomach cramps \ndiarrhea \nmild fever \nfatigue \nchills \nloss of appetite \nmuscle aches. \n\nThe illness may develop over a period of hours, or it may suddenly start with stomach cramps, vomiting, or diarrhea. \n\nHow is it treated? \nThe most important thing to do is to rest the stomach and intestines. You can do this by first eating nothing solid and drinking only clear liquids. A little later you can eat soft bland foods that are easy to digest. \n\nIf you have been vomiting a lot, it is best to have only small, frequent sips of liquids. Drinking too much at once, even an ounce or two, may cause more vomiting. \n\nYour choice of liquids is important. If water is the only liquid you can drink without vomiting, that is okay. However, if you have been vomiting often for a long time, you must replace the minerals, sodium and potassium, that are lost when you vomit. Ask your health care provider what sport drinks or other commercial electrolyte replacement drinks could help you replace these minerals. \n\nOther clear liquids you can drink are weak tea and apple juice. You may also drink soft drinks without caffeine (such as 7-UP) after letting them go flat (lose their carbonation). Chilling the liquids may help you keep them down. Avoid liquids that are acidic (such as orange juice) or caffeinated (such as coffee) or have a lot of carbonation. Do not drink milk until you no longer have diarrhea. \n\nYou may start eating soft bland foods when you have not vomited for several hours and are able to drink clear liquids without further upset. Soda crackers, toast, plain noodles, gelatin, eggs, applesauce, and bananas are good first choices. Avoid foods that are acidic, spicy, fatty, or fibrous (such as meats, coarse grains, vegetables). Also avoid dairy products. You may start eating these foods again in 3 days or so, when all signs of illness have passed. \n\nSometimes treatment includes prescription medicine to prevent nausea and vomiting or diarrhea. Nonprescription medicine is available for the treatment of diarrhea and can be very effective. If you use it, make sure you use only the dose recommended on the package. If you have chronic health problems, always check with your health care provider before you use any medicine for diarrhea. \n\nIf you have been vomiting for more than a day or have had diarrhea for over 3 days, call your health care provider. You may need to have an exam to rule out more serious problems and to check for dehydration. You may also need to have lab tests to determine whether bacteria or germs such as giardia are causing your illness. \n\nDehydration is a potentially serious complication of stomach flu. It can occur if your body loses too much fluid because you keep vomiting or having diarrhea. If you are severely dehydrated, you may need to be given fluids intravenously (IV). In children and older adults, dehydration can quickly become life threatening. \n\nhttp://www.med.umich.edu
550436
your system is different from my system-hard to tell...you could have "gas" from the foods that you eat or the beverages that you consume.
926206
What kind of an ulcer?  Do you mean a stomach ulcer or an ulcer on you foot or leg?  If you mean a stomach ulcer the only way to know for sure you have one is by having an upper GI done.  Without this there is no way to know for sure it is an ulcer and not just something like GERD.  Most stomach ulcers are caused by the HPyloric bacteria and need antibiotics to heal.  Left untreated ulcers can cause serious damage.  Be sure what you have is really an ulcer though before you decide what to do.
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*Just eyeing this one a moment* First off, it is lippopolysaccharide (a cytotoxin) and helicobacter pylori (a nasty bacteria)...\n\nSecond, why one wants two substances that could cause gastric cancer is beyond me other than a means to cause harm...\n\nThird, it is rather obvious by the very fact it is mispelled and that you do not realize such things cannot be bought on the open market; leads me to believe you are not capable of dealing with such items in a safe manner...\n\nFourth, if you were capable you would know how and where to procure them...\n\nFifth, not even gonna suggest how one might get them to you or anyone else publically for the good of humanity as a whole...\n\nNow for those who might wanna know what this is about, read the following...\n\nSoon after H. pylori was linked to chronic gastritis and stomach ulcers a correlation was soon made between the bacteria and gastric cancer. The initial evidence were simple ecological studies that displayed that there was a higher incidence of gastric cancer in populations that contained a higher number of H. pylori infections. Soon after, the link was firmly established and the World Health Organization labeled H. pylori a group 1 carcinogen in 1994. The major factor, which definitively linked H. pylori to cancer, was the fact that it causes chronic inflammation, which is widely excepted as a known cause of cancer.\n\nI. Causes of H. pylori induced cancer\n1) Inflammation/Oxidative Burst\n2) Mutations in Gastric Physiology\n3) Cell Proliferation/Cell Death\n\nII. Outcomes of H. pylori induced mutation\n\nI. Causes of H. pylori induced cancer\n\nInflammation\n\nInfection of the gastric mucosal layer causes chronic inflammation. The inflammation is in response to both host immune and bacterial factors. The bacterial factors include cytotoxins such as VacA and lippopolysaccharide (LPS).\n\nFor more read the article linked below...
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It is an antigen whose presence indicates the presence of the bacterium, Helicobacter pylori, which has been implicated in diseases such as stomach cancer and peptic ulcer disease.\n\nDoctors can test for the antigen in stool to see if a person has the bacterium in his or her stomach.
910641
all viruses work by taking over the reproductive mechanism of cells and making them manufacture copies of themselves.  Frequently the viral cells put out toxins that cause various illnesses.  "Stomach" viruses do this in the GI tract.
194404
IT CAN BE CAUSED BUY MANY DIFFERENT THINGS INCLUDING DIET, GAS OR A LOWWER GI PROBLEM BUT IF IT CONTINUES YOU SHOULD SEE A DOCTOR
71359
Please find a gastroenterologist for an evaluation.  I have heard of many people having to have more than IV antibiotic.  But in some cases that is all that is needed.  Get at least one if not two more opinions.
1430
Get a full upper scope (EGD) and a colonoscopy done.  Get some lab tests to measured inflammation (ESR, CRP) and most of all speak to your doctor.  Sounds like you could have Crohn's disease, but you could also just have irritable bowel syndrome with some ulcers mixed in for the nausea.  Lastly you could have peptic ulcer disease which can be easily treated with antibiotics.  Just get tested and talk to your doctor... and DEMAND answers! :)
670333
1. What are Helicobacter pylori, peptic ulcers and gastritis and how are they related? \nHelicobacter pylori is a spiral shaped bacterium that lives in the stomach. It has a unique way of adapting to the harsh, acidic environment. Since its discovery back in 1983, it has been studied rather extensively and believed by many in the allopathic medical community to play an important role in the development of gastritis and peptic ulcers. Consequently, there has been a fundamental shift in mainstream ulcer care from the widespread use of antacids (which temporarily alleviated some symptoms, but did nothing to address the root cause of the problem) to the "treatment" of gastritis and ulcers with potent antibiotics intended to kill H. pylori. The results of this approach, however, have been mixed.\n\nH. pylori and its effects on the human body are still very poorly understood. While promoting the use of a combination of two or more strong antibiotics to get rid of H. pylori, the pharmaceutical industry and mainstream medical science still cannot explain why only a small portion of those "infected" with these bacteria ever develop even a single peptic ulcer, while the vast majority of these "infected" individuals fail to develop any symptoms whatsoever. In some countries, as many as 90 percent of the population are "infected" with H. pylori, yet the frequency of gastritis and peptic ulcer disease in these countries is rather limited. The mechanisms of H. pylori transmission and spreading have not been ascertained, either. Nobody seems to know for sure how these bacteria spread from one person to the next.
1007229
The main symptom of gastroenteritis is diarrhea. When the colon (large intestine) becomes infected during gastroenteritis, it loses its ability to retain fluids, which causes the person’s feces to become watery. Other symptoms include abdominal pain or cramping, nausea, vomiting, fever, unintentional weight loss (may be a sign of dehydration), excessive sweating, clammy skin, muscle pain or joint stiffness, and incontinence (loss of stool control).  The body can usually fight off the disease on its own. The most important factor when treating gastroenteritis is the replacement of fluids and electrolytes that are lost because of the diarrhea and vomiting. Foods that contain electrolytes and complex carbohydrates, such as potatoes, lean meats (e.g., chicken), and whole grains can help replace nutrients. You can also buy electrolyte and fluid replacement solutions at food and drug stores. Or, if hospitalization is required, the nutrients can be replaced intravenously (injected directly into the veins). Antibiotics will not be effective if the cause of gastroenteritis is a viral infection. Doctors usually do not recommend antidiarrheal medications (e.g., Loperamide) for gastroenteritis because they tend to prolong infection, especially in children. It usually goes away without medical treatment in 1 to 2 days.
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Many stomach ulcers are considered to be caused by a bacteria, H. pylori, and are often treated using both oral and injected antibiotics to irradicate the bacteria which reside on the surface and within the stomach lining.  Competent medical doctors (specialists?) can determine the cause of an ulcer and its proper treatment.  It is not wise to wait too long because the disease can progress.  Good luck.
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Here is a fairly complete description of differences:\nhttp://www.microbe.org/microbes/virus_or_bacterium.asp\n\nA few notable ones are:  size (bacteria are much larger!), complexity (bacteria are more complex), ability to replicate (viruses require a host to reproduce).\n\nThe body CAN fight off both harmful bacteria and viruses! :-)\n\nGood luck!