What is the difference between acute infective gastroenteritis & food poisoning? plz mention the source also?

gastroenteritis may be divided into infective & non infective one.The non infective causes may include endocrinological, inflammatory or laxative abuse etc.Infective gastroenteritis may be caused by bacteria, viruses or parasites; that usually gain entry into the G.I.Tract by the consumption of unhygenic food or water.Food poisoning is also produced by the organisms thru their toxins acquired thru consumption of food.

Food poisoning is the ingestion of food or drink contaminated with bacteria such as Salmonella or its toxins. Gastroenteritis is the result of food poisoning.

Tweety is correct - in general, "food poisoning" and "acute gastroenteritis" are fairly close to synonymous. There can be a distinction between "infective" gastroenteritis and "noninfective" gastroenteritis, which might be what you're getting at.

Some bacterial-produced enterotoxins are termed "heat-stable" - that is, they are not inactivated even with the heat normally applied during cooking. If a bacteria capable of producing one of these toxins colonizes a bit of food, it will start making toxin until later cooking of that food kills the bacteria. The the toxin will, however, remain - if the bacteria had enough time to leave enough toxin behind, it might be capable of causing illness.

This "preformed" heat-stable toxin is responsible for many cases of "short course" food poisoning - the person becomes ill shortly after eating the food and the illness passes shortly thereafter. Incubation time and duration are both short because the toxin was already there. An example of a common heat-stable toxin is that produced by B. cereus (commonly associated with rice).

Most gastroenteritis-causing bacteria do not cause illness by leaving pre-formed toxin on food, however. Most require ingestion of the live bacteria, which subsequently infect the digestive tract, produce toxins once inside the gut, and cause illness this way. These would be examples of "infective" gastroenteritis. The incubation time and duration are usually longer - incubation because there needs to be time to produce the toxin in the gut and longer duration because the immune system needs to fight off a live invader. Examples: Salmonella, Shigella, most pathogenic strains of E.coli, etc.

Food poisoning is a common, usually mild, but sometimes deadly illness. Typical symptoms include nausea, vomiting, abdominal cramping, and diarrhea that come on suddenly (within 48 hours) of consuming a contaminated food or drink. Depending on the contaminant, fever and chills, bloody stools, dehydration, and nervous system damage may follow. These symptoms may affect one person or a group of people who ate the same thing (this would be called an outbreak).

Gastroenteritis is the irritation and inflammation of the digestive tract. This condition may cause abdominal pain, vomiting and diarrhea. Severe cases of gastroenteritis can result in dehydration. In such cases, fluid replacement is the primary factor in treatment. All ages and both sexes may be affected yet the most severe symptoms are experienced by infants and those individuals over sixty years old. The use of certain drugs such as aspirin, antibiotics or cortisone drugs may increase risk for this condition. Funnily food poisoning is one of the causes of gastroenteritis

The Norwalk Virus is another possible cause of infectious gastroenteritis. This may be transmitted through contaminated water or food and is often contracted from shellfish bred in contaminated water. Infectious gastroenteritis is also contracted by eating other foods which have been stored improperly or prepared in an unclean environment.


Self-treatment for adults may consist of the following:


---decrease activity until vomiting and diarrhea subside

---drink clear fluids such as ginger ale, broth, tea and gelatin for the first 24 hours or until diarrhea and vomiting stop

---eat bland foods for the second 24 hours such as crackers, rice, eggs, soup, bread, applesauce or cooked cereal

---do not consume spicy foods, vegetables, fruits, bran, dairy products, fried foods, candy or alcohol

---normal diet may resume after two or three days

---drink 8 to 12 glasses of liquid daily to prevent dehdyration through diarrhea or vomiting

---take non-aspirin medications for aches and avoid aspirin and ibuprofen since these medications may irritate the gastrointestinal system

Therefore, it is more easier to find the relationship between acute infective Gastro enteritis and food poisoning rather than dind the differences