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Day-care Diarrhea

A two-year-old male was brought to the Emergency Room in November because of vomiting and diarrhea. He was admitted to the hospital because of fever (39.5) and dehydration. He had a slight tachycardia (124 beats/min) and respirations of 34/min.

Question 1 - Single Best Answer

Which would you consider to be the most likely type of diarrhea in this child?   Bugs Database

infectious
non-infectious

Question 2 - Single Best Answer

What are the three major kinds of infectious agents that might be the cause?   Bugs Database

ETEC, EPEC, EHEC
viruses, parasites, bacteria
E. coli, rotaviruses, Campylobacter
rotaviruses, Norwalk viruses, enteroviruses

Question 3 - Single Best Answer

What are the two major kinds of diarrhea that it is important to differentiate?   Bugs Database

secretory and watery
inflammatory and secretory
viral and bacterial
bacterial and parasite
dysentery and inflammatory

Initial tests showed that his urine had a high specific gravity and that there were no fecal leukocytes.

Question 4 - Single Best Answer

The high urine specific gravity is consistent with the child's dehydration. What is the significance of the fact that no fecal leukocytes were found?   Bugs Database

he does not have an infection
he has a viral diarrhea
he has diarrhea caused by a parasite
he has a noninflammatory or secretory diarrhea

Question 5 - Single Best Answer

What are some causes of noninflammatory or watery diarrhea?   Bugs Database

E. coli and rotaviruses
Shigella and Campylobacter
Vibrio cholera and Epstein-Barr virus
Epstein-Barr virus and Norwalk virus

Question 6 - Single Best Answer

Besides rotaviruses, what are some other viral causes of watery diarrhea?   Bugs Database

Herpes and CMV
Rubella and rubeola
Norwalk and adeno
E. coli and Vibrio

Question 7 - Single Best Answer

What is the first thing you should initiate for this child?   Bugs Database

oral rehydration
intravenous rehydration
fever reduction
antibiotics
A or B, depending on the circumstances

Question 8 - Single Best Answer

The child was started on intravenous fluids. Microscopic examination of a fecal smear revealed no indication of parasites. Routine stool cultures were done and were all negative. This latter result indicates?   Bugs Database

he had no bacteria in his GI tract
his diarrhea was not caused by an infectious agent
his diarrhea was not caused by a parasite
his diarrhea was viral or caused by a parasite

Question 9 - Single Best Answer

How would you diagnose a case of viral diarrhea?   Bugs Database

virus isolation
IgG antibodies in the serum
DNA probe of a fecal smear
detection of viral antigen in the stool

Question 10 - Single Best Answer

The child was shown to have rotavirus diarrhea. What is a risk factor for this disease?   Bugs Database

malnutrition
under 5 y.o.
daycare centers
all of the above

Question 11 - Single Best Answer

What is the mechanism by which rotaviruses cause diarrhea?   Bugs Database

they produce a toxin that stimulates adenyl cyclase
they cause a low osmolarity in the lumen of the intestine and this causes water secretion
they inhibit water adsorption by the columnar epithelial cells
they coat the brush border cells with virus so that no water can be adsorbed

The child recovered uneventfully and could return to his daycare center the next week. His mother found, when she took him back, that many of the other children had a similar illness.

Question 12 - Single Best Answer

What is the best way to prevent this disease?   Bugs Database

don't eat raw oysters
wash hands
don't drink unpasteurized milk
cook hamburger meat well

   

 Location: http://medinfo.ufl.edu/year2/mmid/a32aq.html
  Updated: October 6, 2005

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