Division GI-GE: Gastroenteritis (excl. CDI)

Gastroenteritis must meet at least one of the following criteria:

• Patient has an acute onset of diarrhea (liquid stools for more than 12 hours) with or without vomiting or fever (> 38 °C) and no likely noninfectious cause (for example, diagnostic tests, therapeutic regimen other than antimicrobial agents, acute exacerbation of a chronic condition, or psychologic stress)

• Patient has at least 2 of the following signs or symptoms with no other recognized cause: nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, fever (> 38 °C), or headache

  AND at least 1 of the following:

  • an enteric pathogen is cultured from stool or rectal swab

  • an enteric pathogen is detected by routine or electron microscopy

  • an enteric pathogen is detected by antigen or antibody assay on blood or feces

  • evidence of an enteric pathogen is detected by cytopathic changes in tissue culture (toxin assay)

  • diagnostic single antibody titre (IgM) or 4-fold increase in paired sera (IgG) for pathogen