Gastroenteritis

In this record, gastroenteritis is described as a common infectious disease syndrome and, in the bacterial context, as acute bacterial gastroenteritis ^[1][2]. The syndrome is defined as a rapid-onset diarrheal illness that may occur with nausea, vomiting, fever, or abdominal pain ^[3]. The disease metadata supplied for this page classifies the condition as bacterial and links it to foodborne intoxication, but the supporting snippets do not further characterize the full etiologic scope [disease metadata].

The core clinical syndrome consists of diarrhea with nausea, vomiting, and abdominal pain; fever may also be present in acute presentations ^[1][3]. In children, the illness is described as having rapid onset, and assessment of severity centers on hydration status and the degree of dehydration ^[3]. Most bacterial infections are self-limited, although more severe forms may warrant selective antibiotic use ^[2]. In the pediatric source, significant dehydration is a major clinical concern, and hospitalized cases are part of the observed burden ^[3]. Source-backed detail on longer-term complications is not yet available beyond dehydration and severe obstructive presentations in a separate eosinophilic gastroenteritis metadata record ^[3][4].

Acute gastroenteritis is described as a common infectious disease syndrome, with more than 350 million cases annually in the United States and 48 million of those attributed to foodborne bacteria ^[1]. A separate review states that acute bacterial gastroenteritis is among the most common infections worldwide and that much of the illness is foodborne, occurring as both sporadic cases and large multistate outbreaks ^[2]. In children in the United States, acute gastroenteritis is associated with 1.5 million office visits, 200,000 hospitalizations, and 300 deaths each year ^[3]. Traveler's diarrhea affects more than half of people traveling from developed countries to developing countries, indicating an important travel-associated burden in the source material ^[1].

The provided sources indicate that much of the illness is foodborne, including foodborne bacterial disease and common-source exposure ^[1][2]. Large multistate outbreaks are specifically noted for acute bacterial gastroenteritis, supporting an outbreak ecology linked to shared exposures ^[2]. The snippets do not provide more specific organism-level or environmental transmission details, so further source-backed characterization is not yet available ^[1][2].

The provided sources identify children as an important affected group, with substantial outpatient, inpatient, and mortality burden described in the United States ^[3]. Travelers from developed countries to developing countries are also highlighted as a group with high exposure-associated risk through traveler’s diarrhea ^[1]. The bacterial review notes increasing prevalence of Clostridium difficile in both adult and pediatric patients, but does not further specify additional high-risk groups in the available snippets ^[1].

Public-health education, contact precautions, and prudent use of antibiotics are identified as important measures for reducing the prevalence of Clostridium difficile-associated disease within the gastroenteritis spectrum discussed in the source ^[1]. The bacterial review also notes that antibiotic selection should be judicious, given that most infections are self-limited and that pathogen evolution with antibiotic resistance complicates empiric therapy ^[2]. For children with mild illness, oral rehydration is emphasized as mainstay supportive care, but the provided material does not supply a broader prevention schedule or vaccine-specific guidance ^[3].

For surveillance purposes, this condition should be read as a high-burden acute gastrointestinal syndrome with substantial foodborne contribution and outbreak potential ^[1][2]. The source material also highlights that culture-independent diagnostic tests can speed identification, while cultures remain important for sensitivity data and strain archiving during outbreak investigations ^[2]. In children, monitoring should pay particular attention to dehydration and utilization indicators such as office visits, hospitalization, and death counts ^[3]. Source-backed detail on standardized case definitions or routine reporting thresholds is not yet available in the provided snippets ^[1][2][3].

1. 1 Graves NS et al. Acute gastroenteritis. Prim Care. 2013 Sep. PMID: 23958366. doi: 10.1016/j.pop.2013.05.006. PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23958366/
2. 2 Fleckenstein JM et al. Acute Bacterial Gastroenteritis. Gastroenterol Clin North Am. 2021 Jun. PMID: 34024442. doi: 10.1016/j.gtc.2021.02.002. PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34024442/
3. 3 Hartman S et al. Gastroenteritis in Children. Am Fam Physician. 2019 Feb 1. PMID: 30702253. PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30702253/
4. 4 Gastroenteritis eosinofílica. Revista Alergia México. 2014. doi: 10.29262/ram.v61i3.44. DOI: https://doi.org/10.29262/ram.v61i3.44
5. 5 Gastroenteritis. Ready Reckoner for Treatment in Pediatrics. 2012. doi: 10.5005/jp/books/11599_8. DOI: https://doi.org/10.5005/jp/books/11599_8
6. 6 Gastroenteritis. Clinical Infectious Disease. 2015. doi: 10.1017/cbo9781139855952.057. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/cbo9781139855952.057

ICD-10

A09

ICD-11

1A40

Total cases

4K

Peak month

2020-11

Coverage

1 reporting countries · 2016-01-01 → 2026-05-01