Parasitic Gastroenteritis

Causes

The most common causes of parasitic gastroenteritis are the parasites Giardia and Cryptosporidium. Giardia is typically found in food and water (contaminated by human and other animal excrement). The parasitic gastrointestinal illness with the most severe prognosis is amebiasis.

Course

This typically begins about 7 days to two weeks after exposure to the source (usually food or water). Typically, it lasts for a few days but may last up to several weeks. It is often self-limiting but can be severe, especially in those at risk, and it may require an antibiotic.

Symptoms

Symptoms include diarrhea, nausea, or vomiting, abdominal pain, sometimes along with excess gas or bloating. Dysentery is often characterized by foul-smelling, watery stools sometimes containing blood and mucus; there can be weight loss, loss of appetite, and sometimes nutritional deficiencies.

Diagnosis

Sometimes, diagnosis may be made according to the patient's history. Oftentimes, people get this when they are hiking and drinking from a contaminated stream, for example, or when they travel to a foreign country where Giardia is endemic. If there is any question, a stool or blood sample can be tested for antibodies.

Examining Specimen for Parasites

Diarrhea - Treatments and Remedies

Over-the-Counter

It is usually recommended that a person let their diarrhea run its course because it is considered a toxin, and your body needs to get rid of it, BUT, if you just can't take it, you can consider the following:

• Imodium AD (symptom Imodium Multi- has additional ingredients for    ​

• Bulking Agents – Oddly enough, bulking agents, which are used for constipation, it is also used for diarrhea because they expand in the GI tract and sometimes can help diarrhea turn into a more formed stool: Metamucil

• Bismuth subsalicylate (common: Pepto Bismol or Kaopectate). (Read the contraindications on the label). It may cause your stool to become black. Avoid if fever or if you have blood in your stool. It may help with pain.

Considered Natural Remedies and Approaches

       Acidophilus (Lactobacillus acidophilus) and Lactobacillus rhamnosis and   

       Lactobacillus reuteri  (*Some people have contraindications to taking probiotics - for example, those on chemo, those with autoimmunity, pregnant, and nursing).

Garlic

Oregano (capsules) 

Guava Leaf           

Fluids and electrolytes are essential in recovery. Otherwise, initial treatment of parasitic gastroenteritis is similar to that of bacterial and viral gastroenteritis: See Gastroenteritis: Nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and abdominal pain.

Prescriptive Treatment

       Lomotil (Atropine and diphenoxylate) – Controlled substance

Abdominal Pain - Treatment and Remedies (pain/cramping)

Over-the-Counter

           Pepto Bismol helps some people

Natural Approaches and Herbal Remedies

           Heating Pad to the abdomen (intermittently for 15 minutes at a time)

           Peppermint (caps, teas) antispasmodic

Prescriptive Treatment

            Fairly common:  dicyclomine, hyoscyamine

            Rifaximin, and others

Giardia Can Be Contagious Between People

• Wash Hands with soapy warm water (20-second rule) - Hand sanitizer may work to stop the spread of this. Very important to wash your hands before preparing food.

• Use bleach products to disinfect surfaces

• Avoid others for 48 hours after symptoms resolve

• Wash fruits, vegetables, and shellfish well before eating

• Wash clothing and bedding in hot water

• Double dipping (putting food back in the dip after you have taken a bite of that food), sharing water bottles are potential routes of transmission.