Dysentery

Dysentery is an illness involving severe diarrhea that is often associated with blood in the feces.

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It is caused by ingestion of food containing bacteria, a disease in which inflammation of the intestines affect the body significantly.

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There are two major types: shigellosis, which is caused by one of several type of Shigella bacteria; and amoebic dysentery, which is caused by the amoeba Entamoeba histolytica.

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A patient with shigellosis will often recover without antibiotic treatment. However, treatment by antibiotics is usually recommended because the disease is relatively severe, and it is highly contagious. It can be transmitted by "fomites", for example clothes, doorknobs, toilet seats, etc. The antibiotics norfloxacin, ampicillin and cotrimaxozole may be used.

Diarrhea: Diarrhea (AmE) or diarrhoea (CwE) is a condition in which the sufferer has frequent and watery or loose bowel movements (from the ancient Greek word ??????? = leakage; lit. "to run through"). In the Third World, diarrhea is the most common cause of death among infants, killing more than 1.5 million ...

Blood: Blood is a circulating tissue composed of fluid plasma and cells (red blood cells, white blood cells, platelets). Medical terms related to blood often begin in hemo- or hemato- (BE: haemo- and haemato-) from the Greek word "haima" for "blood"....

Feces: Feces (American English) or faeces/fæces (Commonwealth English) are semi-solid waste products from an animal digestive tract expelled through the anus (or cloaca) during defecation. In humans, defecation may occur (depending on the individual and the circumstances) from once every two or thre...