Hemorrhagic Colitis is a severe illness caused by shiga-toxin producing strains of Escherichia coli. Which of the following is a plausible description of this condition?

Hemorrhagic Colitis is a severe illness caused by shiga-toxin producing strains of Escherichia coli. Which of the following is a plausible description of this condition?

• A. Gastroenteritis
• B. Hemorrhagic Colitis
• C. Cholangitis
• D. Enteritis

Answer: (B)

Shiga-toxin–producing E. coli injures the lining of the colon, causing inflammation with bleeding. That bleeding-focused colonic inflammation is what “hemorrhagic colitis” describes, so this term best fits the illness. Gastroenteritis is a broader term for GI inflammation with diarrhea but doesn’t specify bleeding of the colon; cholangitis is an infection of the bile ducts, not the colon; enteritis refers to inflammation of the small intestine. The key feature here is hemorrhagic colitis—the colonic inflammation with blood in the stool caused by the toxin.

Shiga-toxin–producing E. coli injures the lining of the colon, causing inflammation with bleeding. That bleeding-focused colonic inflammation is what “hemorrhagic colitis” describes, so this term best fits the illness. Gastroenteritis is a broader term for GI inflammation with diarrhea but doesn’t specify bleeding of the colon; cholangitis is an infection of the bile ducts, not the colon; enteritis refers to inflammation of the small intestine. The key feature here is hemorrhagic colitis—the colonic inflammation with blood in the stool caused by the toxin.