HOME >> MEDICINE >> NEWS
Major cause of painful gastroenteritis under study at MCG

It may have made the B list for bioterrorism agents, but Campylobacter jejuni is on the A list when it comes to causes of painful gastroenteritis.

Eating inadequately washed and cooked chicken is the number-one cause of this bacterial infection that results in three to five days of bloody diarrhea, fever, intense abdominal pain and other flulike symptoms for 2.4 million Americans each year, said Dr. Stuart A. Thompson, microbiologist at the Medical College of Georgia.

Dr. Thompson recently received a $1.7 million grant from the National Institutes of Health to better understand just how this common infection makes people sick.

While Salmonella likely has greater name recognition, a report published in the January 2003 issue of Consumer Reports said Campylobacter was present in 42 percent of the chickens the magazine bought in stores nationwide while Salmonella was found in 12 percent; both bacteria, which cause similar symptoms, were found in 5 percent of the chickens.

Campylobacter has another unfortunate statistic: one out of 1,000 people who get it also develop Guillain-Barre syndrome, an autoimmune response to a viral or bacterial infection that results in paralysis.

"This is one of the things that makes studying Campylobacter infections important," said Dr. Thompson, whose studies of the common bacteria include understanding exactly how it infects the body and developing a vaccine to prevent it.

"Most of these infections run their course and the patients are fine," he said. But weeks later, some people with certain, unidentified strains of the bacteria will develop Guillain-Barre syndrome. "What appears to be happening in those patients with certain strains is there are sugars on the outside of the bacterium that resemble sugars on peripheral nerve cells. So the body detects this infection, mounts an immune response against it but inadvertently generates an autoimmune response against the body's own periph
'"/>

Contact: Toni Baker
tbaker@mcg.edu
706-721-4421
Medical College of Georgia
31-Dec-2003


Page: 1 2 3 4

Related medicine news :

1. Major review of subway systems suggests potential for significant health and safety hazards
2. Major step forwards for vaccine against cervical cancer
3. Majority of cigarettes in the US smoked by nicotine-dependent or psychiatrically ill persons
4. Major overhaul needed in end-of life care for patients with dementia
5. Major overhaul needed in end-of life care for patients with dementia
6. Major radiology journal offers unrestricted access to recently archived articles
7. Major study: Bioartificial liver reduces mortality by 44 percent in acute liver-failure patients
8. Majority of authors retract 1998 Lancet paper-Lancet editor points to implications
9. Major agreement reached at heart health conference
10. Major risk factors identified for sudden infant death syndrome
11. Major advance in chemotherapy in breast cancer

Post Your Comments:
*Name:
*Comment:
*Email:
TAG: Major cause painful gastroenteritis under study MCG

(Date:5/20/2013)... Wolters Kluwer Health is pleased to ... published journals won 13 ASHPE awards in 10 ... and publications for editorial, design, print and online ... be recognized year after year for delivering high-quality ... with quality, depth, and impact," said Jayne Marks, ...
(Date:5/20/2013)... May 20, 2013 Join Seva Foundation in ... at the Palace of Fine Arts Theater in ... , C.C. White and Shimshai, with host Wavy Gravy. All ... world. , Reserved seats are $40 & $55, ... the artists and a front row seat at the show. ...
(Date:5/20/2013)... HealthEconomics.Com , the global leader ... present a new breakthrough in digital marketing and communications ... the reach of traditional, real-world trade shows and conferences ... feel, and benefits of a physical trade show, but ... hours a day, seven days a week, and three ...
(Date:5/20/2013)... 2013 A new Benefits of Pharmacy ... the creators of the MedEx Pack announced. ... Pharmacy Home Delivery, in order to provide useful details for ... handled. Clyde Furuta, MedEx Direct owner and pharmacist said, ... that with a product like the MedEx Pack, patients can ...
(Date:5/20/2013)... Fresno, CA (PRWEB) May 20, 2013 It’s ... a chance, there’s still time to bust out those dusty ... going to have a little cross-company challenge in the office ... to see who can log the most pledged miles for ... building, but they’ll never share their miles! , *insert battle ...
Breaking Medicine News(10 mins):Health News:Wolters Kluwer Health receives 13 awards from the ASHPE 2Health News:Memorial Day Kirtan Concert Palace of Fine Arts Theater in San Francisco Featuring: Snatam Kaur, Jai Uttal, C.C. White & Shimshai with host Wavy Gravy,May 27th 7:00 PM 2Health News:HealthEconomics.Com Launches HE-Xpo, an Online Virtual Trade Show, Educational Center and Exhibit Hall at Major Pharmaceutical Industry Meeting 2Health News:HealthEconomics.Com Launches HE-Xpo, an Online Virtual Trade Show, Educational Center and Exhibit Hall at Major Pharmaceutical Industry Meeting 3Health News:Benefits of Pharmacy Home Delivery Report Published by MedEx Direct 2
(Date:5/20/2013)... VIEJO , Kalifornien, 20. Mai 2013 ... bekannt, dass das Unternehmen die CE-Kennzeichnung für ... zur Embolisation von Aneurysmen erhalten hat. Das ... Europa bereits mit der kontrollierten Einführung dieser ... bietet die SL-Produktfamilie auch ein verbessertes Handling, ...
(Date:5/20/2013)... LONDON , BERLIN ... 2013 Arthroscopy Devices Market ... Preference for Minimally Invasive Procedures to Drive Future Growth" ... trends for the six arthroscopy device market segments: arthroscopes, ... arthroscopy radio frequency systems, and arthroscopy visualization systems. The ...
(Date:5/20/2013)... 2013  Neuralstem, Inc. (NYSE MKT: CUR) today reported ... principal investigator, presented updated Phase I data from its ... the treatment of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS or ... diabetes special medical symposium in Bucharest, Romania ... Therapeutic Advances in Stem Cell Therapy," Dr. Feldman outlined ...
Breaking Medicine Technology:Sequent Medical, Inc. bringt neue SL-Produktfamilie seiner WEB Geräte zur Embolisation von Aneurysmen auf den Markt 2Sequent Medical, Inc. bringt neue SL-Produktfamilie seiner WEB Geräte zur Embolisation von Aneurysmen auf den Markt 3Increasing Prevalence of Osteoarthritis and Preference for Minimally Invasive Procedures to Drive Arthroscopy Devices Market Growth 2Increasing Prevalence of Osteoarthritis and Preference for Minimally Invasive Procedures to Drive Arthroscopy Devices Market Growth 3Increasing Prevalence of Osteoarthritis and Preference for Minimally Invasive Procedures to Drive Arthroscopy Devices Market Growth 4Neuralstem ALS Trial Principal Investigator, Dr. Eva Feldman, Presented Phase I Data At The Neuro Diabetes Medical Symposium In Romania 2Neuralstem ALS Trial Principal Investigator, Dr. Eva Feldman, Presented Phase I Data At The Neuro Diabetes Medical Symposium In Romania 3Neuralstem ALS Trial Principal Investigator, Dr. Eva Feldman, Presented Phase I Data At The Neuro Diabetes Medical Symposium In Romania 4
Cached News: