Escherichia coli enteritis differential diagnosis

Escherichia coli enteritis Microchapters
Home
Patient Information
Overview
Historical Perspective
Classification
Pathophysiology
Causes
Differentiating Escherichia coli enteritis from other Diseases
Epidemiology and Demographics
Risk Factors
Screening
Natural History, Complications and Prognosis
Diagnosis
History and Symptoms
Physical Examination
Laboratory Findings
Treatment
Medical Therapy
Surgery
Prevention
Escherichia coli enteritis differential diagnosis On the Web
Most recent articles
Most cited articles
Review articles
CME Programs
Powerpoint slides
Images
American Roentgen Ray Society Images of Escherichia coli enteritis differential diagnosis All Images X-rays Echo & Ultrasound CT Images MRI
Ongoing Trials at Clinical Trials.gov
US National Guidelines Clearinghouse
NICE Guidance
FDA on Escherichia coli enteritis differential diagnosis
CDC on Escherichia coli enteritis differential diagnosis
Escherichia coli enteritis differential diagnosis in the news
Blogs on Escherichia coli enteritis differential diagnosis
Directions to Hospitals Treating Type chapter name here
Risk calculators and risk factors for Escherichia coli enteritis differential diagnosis

Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1]; Associate Editor(s)-in-Chief: Serge Korjian M.D., Yazan Daaboul, M.D.

Differentiating Escherichia coli Enteritis from other Diseases

• Enteritis caused by E. coli must be differentiated from other causes of acute diarrhea (with or without blood) and abdominal pain.
• Differential diagnosis of E. coli enteritis includes the following:

Infectious Differential Diagnosis

The following are the infectious differential diagnoses of E. coli enteritis:

• Other bacterial infections (see table below)
• Viral infections (e.g. norovirus infection, HIV infection)
• Fungal infections (e.g. Candida spp.)
• Parasites (Giardia spp., E. histolytica, Cryptosporidium spp.)

Non-infectious Causes

The following are the non-infectious differential diagnoses of E. coli enteritis:

• Acute pancreatitis
• Adrenal insufficiency and Waterhouse-Friedrichsen syndrome
• Allergy (e.g. insect bite allergy or anaphylaxis)
• Appendicitis
• Bowel obstruction
• Diverticulitis
• [[Drug reaction (e.g. antimicrobial agents, antihypertensive therapy, chemotherapy, anticonvulsants)
• Endometriosis
• Familial Mediterranean fever
• Gastrointestinal perforation
• Hyperthyroidism
• Ileus
• Intussusception
• Ischemic colitis
• Ketoacidosis
• Mesenteric ischemia
• Necrotizing enterocolitis
• Ogilvie syndrome
• Peritonitis
• Ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysm
• Spider bite
• Poisoning and toxicity (e.g. carbon monoxide poisoning, organophosphate poisoning, digitoxin toxicity)
• Volvulus
• Urinary tract infection

The table below lists the underlying bacterial pathogens known to cause acute diarrhea:

Pathogen	Transmission	Clinical Manifestations
		Fever	Nausea/Vomiting	Abdominal Pain	Bloody Stool
Salmonella	Foodborne transmission, community-acquired	++	+	++	+
Shigella	Community-acquired, person-to-person	++	++	++	+
Campylobacter	Community-acquired, ingestion of undercooked poultry	++	+	++	+
Escherichia coli	Foodborne transmission, ingestion of undercooked hamburger meat	-	+	++	+ (EHEC or EIEC), - (ETEC, EAEC, EPEC)
Clostridium difficile	Nosocomial spread, antibiotic use	+	±	+	+
Yersinia	Community-acquired, foodborne transmission	++	+	++	+
Entamoeba histolytica	Travel to or emigration from tropical regions	+	±	+	±
Aeromonas	Ingestion of contaminated water	++	+	++	+
Plesiomonas	Ingestion of contaminated water or undercooked shellfish, travel to tropical regions	±	++	+	+