What are the symptoms of a bowel infection?

There are many kinds of bacteria in the intestines of normal people, which can promote digestion. However, if there is an intestinal infection, the patient may experience various discomforts, such as gastrointestinal pain, indigestion, diarrhea, vomiting, etc. These symptoms are common symptoms of intestinal infection, and everyone needs timely diagnosis and treatment.

Enterovirus includes poliovirus, Coxsackie virus, enterocytopathic human orphan virus (ECHO), and new enterovirus, totaling 71 serotypes. This genus of virus infection is widely distributed, and the clinical manifestations are complex and diverse. Poliomyelitis has already been discussed in a separate chapter; this section introduces enterovirus infections other than poliovirus.

Clinical manifestations

The clinical manifestations of enterovirus infection are complex and varied, and the severity of the disease varies greatly. The same type of virus can cause different clinical syndromes, while different types of viruses can cause similar clinical manifestations.

(I) Respiratory tract infections can be caused by many types of echovirus and coxsackievirus, with upper respiratory tract infections being the most common, but can also cause lower respiratory tract infections such as infant pneumonia. Enterovirus 68 can cause bronchiolitis and pneumonia in children.

(ii) Herpangina is mainly caused by Coxsackie A and B viruses, and less commonly by echovirus. The disease occurs throughout the world, either sporadically or in epidemic forms, but is more common in summer and autumn. Highly contagious. The average incubation period is about 4 days, and the symptoms include fever, sore throat, pharyngeal congestion, and scattered gray-white papules and blisters in the throat, with a diameter of 1 to 2 mm and a red halo around them. After the blisters rupture, yellow ulcers form, which are more common on the tonsils, soft palate, and uvula. It usually heals itself after 4 to 6 days.

(III) Eruptive diseases are also called epidemic ixanthemata, which can be caused by coxsackievirus and echovirus. It is more common in infants and children and less common in adults. The incubation period is 3 to 6 days. There are often upper respiratory tract symptoms such as fever and sore throat before the rash appears. The rash appears when fever occurs or fever subsides, and is polymorphic, including maculopapular rash, maculo-rash, scarlet fever-like rash, rubella-like rash, herpes and urticaria-like rash. Different forms of rash may exist at the same time or appear in batches. It may be accompanied by swollen lymph nodes throughout the body or in the neck and occipital area.

(IV) Hand, foot and mouth disease is mainly caused by Coxsackievirus types A5, 9, 10 and 16, especially A16. It mostly occurs in children under 5 years old, is highly contagious, and can occur in epidemic or sporadic forms. Initial symptoms include low fever, anorexia, mouth pain, etc. Small blisters appear on the oral mucosa, which then break down to form ulcers. They are mostly distributed on the posterior tongue, cheeks and hard palate, and can also be seen in the gums, tonsils and pharynx. Maculopapular rashes often appear on the skin of the hands and feet, and occasionally on the trunk, thighs, and buttocks. The maculopapular rash quickly turns into small blisters, which are smaller than the chickenpox rash and are absorbed within 2 to 3 days without leaving scabs. The prognosis is good, but recurrence is possible. Sometimes it may be accompanied by aseptic meningitis, myocarditis, etc.

(V) Meningitis, encephalitis and paralytic diseases Coxsackievirus A, B and many types of echovirus as well as enterovirus 71 can cause these diseases.