Bacterial gastroenteritides are typically characterised by an acute onset of diarrhoea and vomiting with fever and often abdominal pains.

Most infections will resolve spontaneously.

It is common for there to be an alteration in bowel habit for many months after bacterial gastroenteritis. At six months:

• a quarter will have a tendency to looser stool and faecal urgency
• one in 14 patients will have the classical features of the irritable bowel syndrome