Salmonellosis, Shigellosis. General management of diarrhoea

1. Big picture

Acute diarrhoea is common, but the exam expects you to separate simple self-limited watery diarrhoea from dangerous inflammatory/invasive diarrhoea.

The key clinical logic is:

Diarrhoea
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Assess dehydration and sepsis first
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Watery or bloody?
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Any red flags? fever, blood, severe pain, shock, immunosuppression, elderly, outbreak
   ↓
Rehydrate immediately
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Test stool only when indicated
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Avoid unnecessary antibiotics
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Treat specifically if severe, invasive, high-risk, or public health relevant

Salmonella and Shigella are bacterial causes of acute gastroenteritis. Salmonella is classically foodborne and often self-lim