- dysentery
- n.an infection of the intestinal tract causing severe diarrhoea with blood and mucus. Amoebic dysentery (amoebiasis) is caused by the protozoan Entamoeba histolytica and results in ulceration of the intestines and occasionally in the formation of abscesses in the liver (amoebic or tropical abscesses), lungs, testes, or brain. The parasite is spread by food or water contaminated by infected faeces. Symptoms appear days or even years after infection and include diarrhoea, indigestion, loss of weight, and anaemia. Prolonged treatment with drugs, including metronidazole, is usually effective in treating the condition. Amoebic dysentery is mainly confined to tropical and subtropical countries.Bacillary dysentery is caused by bacteria of the genus Shigella and is spread by contact with a patient or carrier or through food or water contaminated by their faeces. Epidemics are common in overcrowded insanitary conditions. Symptoms, which develop 1–6 days after infection, include diarrhoea, nausea, cramp, and fever and they persist for about a week. An attack may vary from mild diarrhoea to an acute infection causing serious dehydration and bleeding from the gut. In most cases, provided fluid losses are replaced, recovery occurs within 7–10 days; antibiotics may be given to eliminate the bacteria.Compare: cholera
The new mediacal dictionary. 2014.