Spontaneous Diarrhoea with Fever and Vomiting

CLINICAL DIAGNOSTIC MANUAL

Spontaneous diarrhoea accompanied by fever and vomiting is a common condition that can be caused by a variety of pathogens, including bacteria, viruses, and parasites.

These symptoms typically indicate an acute gastrointestinal infection and can lead to dehydration and other electrolyte imbalances if not managed properly.

Identifying the underlying cause is crucial to providing specific treatment and avoiding complications.

Pathology	Symptoms and Clinical Signs	Suspected Diagnosis	Confirmatory Diagnosis
Traveller’s diarrhoea	Watery diarrhoea, fever, vomiting, abdominal pain, recent travel history	History of travel to endemic areas, physical examination	Stool culture, bacterial toxin assays
Enterotoxic diarrhoea	Watery diarrhoea, fever, vomiting, dehydration, abdominal pain	History of consuming contaminated food, physical examination	Stool culture, bacterial toxin assays
Cholera	Profuse watery diarrhoea (“rice water” stools), vomiting, severe dehydration, low-grade fever	History of exposure to endemic areas, physical examination	Stool culture, rapid antigen tests
Rotavirus diarrhoea	Watery diarrhoea, fever, vomiting, dehydration, abdominal pain, more common in children	History of contact with infected individuals, physical examination	Stool viral antigen tests, PCR for rotavirus
Norwalk virus diarrhoea	Watery diarrhoea, fever, vomiting, abdominal pain, occasional respiratory symptoms	History of outbreaks in closed communities, physical examination	Stool viral antigen tests, PCR for Norwalk virus