Microbial Diseases Of The Digestive System |
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Diseases of the digestive system are the second most common illness in the United States.
Diseases of the digestive system usually result from the ingestion of microorganism and their toxins in food and water.
The fecal-oral cycle of transmission can be broken by the proper disposal of sewage, the disinfections of drinking water, and proper food preparation and storage.
The gastrointestinal (GI) tract, or alimentary canal, consists of the mouth, pharynx, esophagus, stomach, small intestine, and small intestine.
The teeth, tongue, salivary glands, liver, gallbladder, and pancreas are accessory structures.
In the GI tract, with mechanical and chemical help from the accessory structure, large food molecules that can transport by blood or lymph to cells.
Feces, the solids resulting from digestion, are eliminated through the anus.
The Human Digestive System
A wide variety of bacteria colonize the mouth, including:
The stomach and small intestine have few resident microorganisms.
The large intestine is the habitat of Lactobacillus, Bacteroides, E. coli, Enterobacter, Klebsiella, Citrobacter, and Proteus.
Bacteria in the large intestine assist in degrading food and synthesizing vitamins.
Up to 40% of fecal mass is microbial cells.