What is it about sickle cell anemia that predisposes afflicted patients with salmonella to osteomyelitis?

Sickle-cells makes it easier for the bacteria to get into the blood and bone and more difficult for the immune system to get rid of systemic infections. Since the sickle-cells are abnormal they easily clump together and block the capillaries, when this happens in the gut it makes it easier for Salmonella to invade and become systemic. And since the spleen and liver already have to work hard to get rid of the damaged red blood cells it reduces the effectiveness these organs play in getting rid of bacteria in the blood. The complement system activity is also reduced leading to an impaired immune response. And lastly, since microvascular occlusions often lead to infarcted or necrotic bone it becomes easier for the bacteria to invade bones and joints.

3:10 he said that doctor from a stool sample will determine what caused the gastroenteritis. How they detect which bacteria or virus causes it? Because all the symptoms are similar. So they detect specific endotoxins in your stool for specific bacteria?

When your doctors asks for a stool sample, the stool is actually cultured for bacteria and viruses. You can also look under a microscope at a sample and see if there are parasites or parasite eggs in the stool sample. Once a bacteria is cultured, it is Gram stained, and put through series of tests to determine which type of bacteria it is. The appropriate antibiotic is then prescribed. Most of the time, however, your doctor can tell which bacteria are likely given your medical history/what you have been eating, and treat you empirically if needed.

Why does not being able to absorb water cause abdominal cramping?

That's a very good question that had me scratching my head for a while, but thinking about the physiology I found the answer. What it all comes down to is the electrolyte balance! Cramps are involuntary muscle contraction, the contractions are started/stopped by ions, which come from electrolytes. Bit of a long explanation here, but: Electrolytes are chemicals that form ions (and make a solution electrically conductive). Our body uses those ions for many things. For example, cells can use the potential energy that is created by concentration differences of ions inside and outside the cell to transport molecules into the cell. Our neural system also uses ions to create the electrical signals that tell our muscles to clench or unclench. To do that a number of ions inside or outside the cell must be in balance and water is a big part of that balance as these ions are dissolved in water (this has to do with osmolar balance). So by not having enough water, you end up with the wrong amount of ions and that in turn leads to a mistake so the signals to the muscles to unclench doesn't work properly

Main content

Course: NCLEX-RN > Unit 13

Lesson 1: Gastroenteritis

What is salmonella poisoning?

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doctor_luvtub
Posted 8 years ago. Direct link to doctor_luvtub's post “What is it about sickle c...”
What is it about sickle cell anemia that predisposes afflicted patients with salmonella to osteomyelitis?
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(7 votes)
Answer
- Camilla
  Posted 6 years ago. Direct link to Camilla's post “Sickle-cells makes it eas...”
  Sickle-cells makes it easier for the bacteria to get into the blood and bone and more difficult for the immune system to get rid of systemic infections.
  
  Since the sickle-cells are abnormal they easily clump together and block the capillaries, when this happens in the gut it makes it easier for Salmonella to invade and become systemic. And since the spleen and liver already have to work hard to get rid of the damaged red blood cells it reduces the effectiveness these organs play in getting rid of bacteria in the blood. The complement system activity is also reduced leading to an impaired immune response. And lastly, since microvascular occlusions often lead to infarcted or necrotic bone it becomes easier for the bacteria to invade bones and joints.
  Button navigates to signup page
  (2 votes)
Paulius Kantakevicius
Posted 8 years ago. Direct link to Paulius Kantakevicius's post “3:10 he said that doctor ...”
3:10
he said that doctor from a stool sample will determine what caused the gastroenteritis. How they detect which bacteria or virus causes it? Because all the symptoms are similar. So they detect specific endotoxins in your stool for specific bacteria?
Button navigates to signup pageButton navigates to signup page
(3 votes)
Answer
- PCMSIII
  Posted 8 years ago. Direct link to PCMSIII's post “When your doctors asks fo...”
  When your doctors asks for a stool sample, the stool is actually cultured for bacteria and viruses. You can also look under a microscope at a sample and see if there are parasites or parasite eggs in the stool sample.
  
  Once a bacteria is cultured, it is Gram stained, and put through series of tests to determine which type of bacteria it is. The appropriate antibiotic is then prescribed. Most of the time, however, your doctor can tell which bacteria are likely given your medical history/what you have been eating, and treat you empirically if needed.
  Button navigates to signup page
  (3 votes)
sophi2
Posted 7 years ago. Direct link to sophi2's post “if a epithelium cell dies...”
if a epithelium cell dies off then you still have so many more of them so how come the rest of them aren't able to do their job
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(2 votes)
Answer
- Camilla
  Posted 6 years ago. Direct link to Camilla's post “If it was only one cell t...”
  If it was only one cell that died, it wouldn't be a problem, the symptoms are caused by a large amount of them dying or not working properly.
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  (1 vote)
😊
Posted 7 years ago. Direct link to 😊's post “Why does not being able t...”
Why does not being able to absorb water cause abdominal cramping?
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(1 vote)
Answer
- Camilla
  Posted 6 years ago. Direct link to Camilla's post “That's a very good questi...”
  That's a very good question that had me scratching my head for a while, but thinking about the physiology I found the answer. What it all comes down to is the electrolyte balance! Cramps are involuntary muscle contraction, the contractions are started/stopped by ions, which come from electrolytes. Bit of a long explanation here, but:
  
  Electrolytes are chemicals that form ions (and make a solution electrically conductive). Our body uses those ions for many things. For example, cells can use the potential energy that is created by concentration differences of ions inside and outside the cell to transport molecules into the cell. Our neural system also uses ions to create the electrical signals that tell our muscles to clench or unclench. To do that a number of ions inside or outside the cell must be in balance and water is a big part of that balance as these ions are dissolved in water (this has to do with osmolar balance). So by not having enough water, you end up with the wrong amount of ions and that in turn leads to a mistake so the signals to the muscles to unclench doesn't work properly
  Button navigates to signup page
  (2 votes)
Francisco Bruno
Posted 6 years ago. Direct link to Francisco Bruno's post “Hi. Are Salmonella Bacter...”
Hi.
Are Salmonella Bacteria From Animal Origin?
Or can it be found in plant foods?
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(1 vote)
Answer
- Joanne
  Posted 6 years ago. Direct link to Joanne's post “Salmonella bacteria is a ...”
  Salmonella bacteria is a naturally found in animal feces (for instance you would find in in the feces of people, cows, chickens, turtles, etc.) Anything we eat or drink can be contaminated with feces, such as water, eggs, chicken, hamburger, tomatoes, melon, etc. A person that eats contaminated food can get salmonella food poisoning, signs of diarrhea, etc. It does not naturally occur 'in' plants. Raw eggs, improperly washed vegies, improperly cooked meat, and untreated water are common sources.
  https://www.cdc.gov/salmonella/general/technical.html
  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salmonella
  Comment on Joanne's post “Salmonella bacteria is a ...”
  (1 vote)

Video transcript

- [Voiceover] Salmonella poisoning is caused by a bacteria known as Salmonella enterica. It's usually contracted when people just eat plain old bad food. So I don't mean food that doesn't taste very good. I mean food that hasn't been cooked properly or hasn't been stored properly or has been contaminated with something containing the bacteria itself. Now, when you eat this kind of food, the bacteria will enter your stomach. Remember that the stomach has a very acidic environment. As a result, most of the bacteria will die off. However, some may end up surviving and make their way into the small intestine. So why don't we look a little bit more closely at the small intestine itself. Once again, there are many different layers of the wall of the small intestine. And we'll be focusing on this green layer known as the epithelium. The epithelium contains all of these cells that will be doing the digesting and absorbing. And it's these cells that the bacteria will invade. So we can actually zoom in on one of the cells over here. Once again, this is our epithelial cell. And we have the bacteria over here. Now, this bacteria is pretty interesting because it actually has a whole bunch of different structures that look like tails. These tails are known as flagella. Flagella is really just plural for flagellum. These bacteria will use this flagella to move it near the epithelial cell. At this point it then physically attaches to the epithelial cell and then injects a whole bunch of compounds into that cell. Those compounds will ultimately allow for the internalization of that bacteria. So in other words, that bacteria will then be able to make this epithelial cell its new home. Now, remember that a lot of bacteria have this structure around them called the cell wall. And associated with that cell wall in this case is a chemical called an endotoxin. That endotoxin will trigger the release of chemicals called cytokines. And these cytokines will ultimately lead to a process known as apoptosis, which just basically means cell death. So eventually this epithelial cell will die off. And now you have all of these cells in the epithelium just dying. And remember that these cells are responsible for digesting and absorbing food. So now you can't do that anymore. As a result, you may experience a lot of different symptoms. Now, a like all of the forms of gastroenteritis or food poisoning, people will experience some diarrhea. And given that this is a bacterial infection, people will experience bloody diarrhea. Vomiting and nausea is also common. And because you're constantly expelling the contents in your system, this can lead to dehydration. And finally, because you can't really absorb water as well, people may experience cramps. Now, these are symptoms that you may see if the bacteria stays in the gut. You may actually see some other symptoms if the bacteria manages to enter the bloodstream. So for example, you may have a fever. This is typically uncommon, but it's possible for it to happen. And if the person has a condition known as sickle cell anemia, then there's a good chance that the bacteria could cause a condition known as ostemyelitis. And this is really just infection of your bones. Now, typically, the symptoms start about one to three days after exposure. And they'll usually last for about one week. Now, if you want to be safe, you can go to the doctor to get a real diagnosis. And like always, what they'll do is they'll take a stool sample. They'll then evaluate the contents of the stool sample and they'll see if it has the bacteria in it. If it does, then you have Salmonella poisoning. If they decide that you have Salmonella poisoning, the doctor will most likely advise you to drink a lot of fluids. And in some cases they may even give you some antibiotics. Usually antibiotics will be given if the situation is pretty extreme or severe. And as always, the best way to prevent getting Salmonella poisoning is by eating clean food and drinking clean water.