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What Causes Diarrhea After Having Lettuce?
Question: I went to Peru two years ago and made the mistake of eating lettuce and also getting into a stream that probably was infested with all kinds of things. I had got the immunizations the year before when I went to Peru but did not get them this trip. On the plane ride back I herd a biology professor talk about some kind of brain eating organisms that can eventually make a person go crazy after 2 or so years, often from eating lettuce that has human feces on it I think. I had diarrhea for a long time after the trip, also something i heard from the professor that was accosted with this kind of thing, and my stool is still not as together as it was before that trip, i had a tendency to be more constipated. But It has been a noticeable changed since the trip, right when I got back from Peru I could not drink coffee, it would pass right through me. I did wondered if that was from drinking a couple beers every night , or from an allergy of some kind, because my mother just went through some serious issues with gluten, where she could not absorb nutrients if she has any gluten in here system. We have also has some similar issues with the acids that have seemed to irritate my throat and sinuses. I seem to completely forget what I am doing sometimes, more then normal, I have also noticed some twitching from time to time that I know could point to a neurological problem, for example if I am online and my hand is over my mouse I can sometimes feel my finger twitch and it hits the mouse button. My filter for saying exactly what I am feeling seems like it is more worst then normal too, I have always been like that but it seems to have peeked at this moment, and this all could be from more of a philological problem that I have rather then a biological factor but would appreciate any advice I can get at the moment. The last observation I have about all of this is that I have notice that when I am talking about something, I can get words crossed, like I will want to say left but I say right instead, or I will forget how to spell words that I really shouldn't. Thank you for the help
Brief Answer:
Possible intestinal parasitic infection contacted during travel to Peru.
Detailed Answer:
Hi,
Thank you for your query. I can understand your concerns.
Possibly you have acquired Cyclosporiasis by your travel to Latin XXXXXXX (Peru).
The parasite, Cyclospora cayetanensis, is a tiny protozoan that usually spreads through contact with feces or fecal contamination of salad containing lettuce etc.and persons consuming such contaminated lettuce can have diarrhea and other stomach flu-like symptoms,flatulence and belching.
The illness can be self-limited, can wax and wane, or in many cases can involve prolonged diarrhea, anorexia, and upper gastrointestinal symptoms, with sustained fatigue and weight loss in some instances. Diarrheal illness may persist for >1 month.
The diagnosis of Cyclosporiasis can be made by detection of spherical 8- to 10-m oocysts in the stool, although routine stool ova andparasite (O+P) examinations are not sufficient.Specific fecal examinations must be requested to detect the oocysts, which are variably acid-fast and are fluorescent when viewed with ultraviolet light microscopy.
It is curable.
Cyclosporiasis is treated with TMP-SMX (160/800 mg twice daily for 7 days)
However Cyclosporiasis does not cause any neurological illness.
Lettuce can be contaminated with an infectious organism, such as listeria monocytogenes that can cause meningitis,Meningoencephalitis and Focal CNS Infection. The presentation is more frequently subacute (with illness developing over several days) than in meningitis of other bacterial etiologies.
Listeria monocytogenes can also cause diarrhoeal ilnesses.
Listerial gastroenteritis typically develops within 48 h of ingestion of a large inoculum of bacteria in contaminated foods such salads and it does not require antibiotic treatment.
Your neurological symptoms need detail evaluation and clinical examination.
It seems sudden twitching movement of fingers is due to fasciculation which can be benign and due to muscle fatigue.
Your right and left disorientation can be due to some subtle lesion in right /non-dominat cerebral hemispheric . Neurology consultation can be obtained before any brain imaging (e.g. MRI).
Regards
Dr. T.K. Biswas M.D. XXXXXXX
Possible intestinal parasitic infection contacted during travel to Peru.
Detailed Answer:
Hi,
Thank you for your query. I can understand your concerns.
Possibly you have acquired Cyclosporiasis by your travel to Latin XXXXXXX (Peru).
The parasite, Cyclospora cayetanensis, is a tiny protozoan that usually spreads through contact with feces or fecal contamination of salad containing lettuce etc.and persons consuming such contaminated lettuce can have diarrhea and other stomach flu-like symptoms,flatulence and belching.
The illness can be self-limited, can wax and wane, or in many cases can involve prolonged diarrhea, anorexia, and upper gastrointestinal symptoms, with sustained fatigue and weight loss in some instances. Diarrheal illness may persist for >1 month.
The diagnosis of Cyclosporiasis can be made by detection of spherical 8- to 10-m oocysts in the stool, although routine stool ova andparasite (O+P) examinations are not sufficient.Specific fecal examinations must be requested to detect the oocysts, which are variably acid-fast and are fluorescent when viewed with ultraviolet light microscopy.
It is curable.
Cyclosporiasis is treated with TMP-SMX (160/800 mg twice daily for 7 days)
However Cyclosporiasis does not cause any neurological illness.
Lettuce can be contaminated with an infectious organism, such as listeria monocytogenes that can cause meningitis,Meningoencephalitis and Focal CNS Infection. The presentation is more frequently subacute (with illness developing over several days) than in meningitis of other bacterial etiologies.
Listeria monocytogenes can also cause diarrhoeal ilnesses.
Listerial gastroenteritis typically develops within 48 h of ingestion of a large inoculum of bacteria in contaminated foods such salads and it does not require antibiotic treatment.
Your neurological symptoms need detail evaluation and clinical examination.
It seems sudden twitching movement of fingers is due to fasciculation which can be benign and due to muscle fatigue.
Your right and left disorientation can be due to some subtle lesion in right /non-dominat cerebral hemispheric . Neurology consultation can be obtained before any brain imaging (e.g. MRI).
Regards
Dr. T.K. Biswas M.D. XXXXXXX
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Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Yogesh D
Answered by
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