| Theme | Infectious Enterocolitis | |
|---|---|---|
| Title | Second Category of Infectious Diseases and Enterocolitis | |
| Publish Date | 2004/07 | |
| Author | Shigekazu Hayashi | Department of Gastroenterology, Nagoya Ekisaikai Hospital |
| [ Summary ] | In this study, we investigated four intestinal infectious diseases, i. e., shigellosis, cholera, typhoid fever and paratyphoid fever, which are in the second category of infectious diseases. These diseases have markedly decreased in Japan because of improvements in public hygiene and are now attracting attention as imported infectious diseases, accompanied by an increase in the number of travelers going abroad. However, mass outbreaks of these diseases still occur in Japan. Many cases are also caused by imported food. Because the clinical symptoms of shigellosis and cholera have become milder, fecal culture tests are essential, and also, because typhoid fever and paratyphoid fever show little gastrointestinal symptoms, a suspected person who has a fever of unknown origin and a history of traveling abroad to an epidemic area must be tested for cultures in the feces, blood, bone marrow and bile as soon as possible. Antibacterials are used for the treatment of these diseases. However, the number of strains that are resistant to antibacterials, including tetracyclines, chloramphenicols, ampicillins, and sulfamethoxazole-trimethoprim combinations, are increasing, and recently, even strains of shigellosis and typhoid fever that have low sensitivity to new quinolones, the first choice agent for these diseases, have begun to be developed. |
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