Daily Almanac for
Jul 6, 2009
Search White Pages
Search: Infoplease Info search tips
Search: Biographies Bio search tips
Encyclopedia

dysentery

dysentery (dis'unter"ē) [key], inflammation of the intestine characterized by the frequent passage of feces, usually with blood and mucus. The two most common causes of dysentery are infection with a bacillus (see bacteria) of the Shigella group, and infestation by an ameba, Entamoeba histolytica. Both bacillary and amebic dysentery are spread by fecal contamination of food and water and are most common where sanitation is poor. They are primarily diseases of the tropics, but may occur in any climate.

Sections in this article:

The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th ed. Copyright © 2007, Columbia University Press. All rights reserved.

    • Cite
    • Print
    • Bookmark

More on dysentery from Infoplease:

See more Encyclopedia articles on: Pathology


Premium Partner Content
HighBeam Research

Related content from HighBeam Research on: dysentery

Investigating the effects of climate variations on bacillary dysentery incidence in northeast China using ridge regression and hierarchical cluster analysis.(Research article) (BMC Infectious Diseases)

C Magazine Spring 2004: editorial.(Dysentery) (C: International Contemporary Art)

Zinc supplementation reduces the incidence of persistent diarrhea and dysentery among low socioeconomic children in India (The Journal of Nutrition)

Trichuris dysentery syndrome with eosinophilic leukemoid reaction mimicking inflammatory bowel disease (Journal of Postgraduate Medicine)

Blood concentrations of the cytokines IL-1beta, IL-6, IL-10, TNF-alpha and IFN-gamma during experimentally induced swine dysentery.(Research) (Acta Veterinaria Scandinavica)

Confirmation of the role of rapidly fermentable carbohydrates in the expression of swine dysentery in pigs after experimental infection (The Journal of Nutrition)

Caught in the 'Iron Triangle', It Takes a Checkbook..., A Money Mess in Switzerland, Talk Talk, In Vietnam, a Shot in the Dark, A Parent's New Best Friend, Fly Me to the Moon Shadow, Blame Canada, Hey Dad, You've Got Dysentery!, Play It Where It Lies, Sam.(various news briefs from around the world) (Newsweek)

To cure dysentery in calves.(Brief Article) (Countryside & Small Stock Journal)

Shigellosis : challenges & management issues (Indian Journal of Medical Research)

Epidemiology of Shigella-associated diarrhea in Gorgan, north of Iran.(Original Article) (Saudi Journal of Gastroenterology)

Additional search results provided by HighBeam Research, LLC. © Copyright 2005. All rights reserved.