Bacterial Gastrointestinal Infections

Abstract

Gastrointestinal bacterial infections are typically caused by the ingestion of contaminated food or drink. The symptoms are often directly associated with the action of toxins either present directly in food (intoxication) or produced and secreted by the infecting bacterial species at the site of infection. Several pathogenic bacteria are able to shift, or outcompete, the resident microbiota and cause dysbiosis in the gastrointestinal tract. In some cases, external stress, or antibiotic treatment, can induce gastroenteritis by allowing overgrowth of opportunistic pathogens. In this article, we describe bacterial infections and dysbiosis of the gastrointestinal tract.