intestinal infection

[magdelan]

My father in law was in the Outer Banks last week. The first day they were there, he went into the ocean. The following day he became nauseas and developed a fever. This lasted for the next 3-4 days. After coming home, he still felt lethargic. Today he went to the dr. They said he was dehydrated so they rehydrated him. He imediately began feeling better. Next they did an MRI on his abdomen. After studying the MRI, they determined that he had an intestinal infection and prescribed some antibiotics. Has anyone ever heard of someone ingesting ocean water and developing an intestinal infection?

 

[Capt_Cully]

Vibrio cholera from raw shellfish jumps to mind. But a gulp of sea water doesn't sound right. I'm no Infectious Disease/Microorganism specialist, so, are the microbes that COULD do that, I suppose. It'd be hard to believe that it wouldn't me more common. Perhaps it is, and we land lubbers don't hear about the frequency.

Any way you could get more specifics? Was any particular microbe isolated?

 

[MAVX]

uncooked or undercooked seafood from local restaurant?

 

[Steve Canyon]

I'm curious that lethargy and being nausious would justify the Doc ordering an MRI. I'm also curious how that would show an infection.....

 

[Capt_Cully]

Were it me, a CT scan would have been my choice. The MR could reflect inflammation or potential fluid collection such as an abscess, though again, CT would have been better. There must be a great deal more to this story.

 

[magdelan]

It very well could have been a ct scan. No consumption of shellfish prior to. Also, I'm quite informed in the food safety/food born illness aspect of sickness. This infection must have been caused by a bacteria in the water.

 

[Capt_Cully]

Did they isolate a microorganism? Was it Bacterial? A Parasite? Or was treatment empiric and or by exclusion?

 

[Gary Majchrzak]

Has anyone ever heard of someone ingesting ocean water and developing an intestinal infection?

fwiw I've never heard of this. I hope the poor guy is alright!

 

[Capt_Cully]

It really doesn't make sense to me. Mike, believe me, I'm not doubting you. Its just that an isolated case like that is suspect. I'd expect there to be others I guess. Again, we don't live in a coastal area, so maybe it is common, but als Gary said, I've not heard of it.

You'd expect to hear about it with the vast number of people entering the ocean every year.

I HAVE been nauseated by swallowing a partial gulp of tank water .......

 

[Gary Majchrzak]

or swimming pool/ hot tub water.........

or that last beer boiled chicken recipe that I tried