Table 2.
Characteristics of stool, intestinal segment-damaged, microorganisms involved
| Feature of feces | Small intestine | Colon |
|---|---|---|
| Appearance | Liquid | Mucus and/or with blood |
| Volume | Abundant | Poor |
| Frequency | Increase | Large increase |
| Blood | +/− | +++ |
| pH | <5.5 | >5.5 |
| Reducing substances | Positive | Negative |
| Fecal leukocytes | <5 per field | >10 per field |
| Blood leukocytes | Normal | Possible leukocytosis |
| Microorganism | Virus | Invasive bacteria |
| Adenovirus | Aeromonas spp | |
| Astrovirus | Campylobacter spp | |
| Calicivirus | EIEC – EHEC | |
| Rotavirus | Salmonella spp | |
| Shigella spp | ||
| Plesiomonas spp | ||
| Yersinia spp | ||
| Enterotoxigenic bacteria | Bacterial toxins | |
| Clostridium difficile | ||
| Clostridium perfringens | ||
| Cholera spp | ||
| ETEC | ||
| Vibrio spp | ||
| Parasites | Parasites | |
| Cryptosporidium spp | Entamoeba | |
| Giardia spp | organism |
Note: © 2009 Biomedia. Reproduced with permission from Caramia G, Ruffini E, Salvatori P. Infectious gastroenteritis. Neonatal Infectious Diseases Study Group of the Italian Society of Neonatology. Manual of Neonatal Infectious Diseases. Milan: Biomedia; 2009.55