Infection from feces

Factual Questions
1

Hello Everyone,

I had a weird thought the other day. Human feces that enters the bloodstream can cause havoc through infection. During the Vietnam War the VC would cover punji sticks in feces to cause infection on the victim.

My question is, when a person has a hemorrhoid, it is common that the hemorrhoid will bleed. Well, if you have a bowl movement and then wipe it would seem to me that your smearing feces all over an open wound/cut/tear. Why are the not thousands of people in the hospital with serious infections caused by feces in contact with open wounds from this?

I know, a little gross, but just curious.

2

I had the same thought a couple days ago. No idea of an answer. Should be interesting.

3

Don’t the germs in your shit already exist in your body? So wouldn’t your immune system already be fighting this? I would think that the germs from anyone else shit would be the harmful ones. Or your own shit if it was exposed to air for a couple of days and then reinroduced.

4

I guess it’s not such a weird thought - I had the same thought yesterday.

5

From what I understand about E. coli. There are around 700 different types. The type we have is usually pretty harmless to us. They type cows have can be really bad. Not to be too graphic, but that’s why humans can engage in some sexual practices without dropping dead all the time.

6

I suspect it’s the same reason that a scratch isn’t nearly as serious as a puncture wound. The blood from a hemorrhoid is on the surface, in an aerobic environment, and will tend to wash the bacteria away. A puncture wound is anaerobic, and there’s no place for the bacteria to go but into the body.

7

Having been a hemorrhoid suffer for years, I asked this question to a doctor after having a rather cranky hemmi removed. Human waste is rather sterile as it leaves the body but turns rather nasty soon after it exits the body. Good hygiene practices make sure hemorrhoids don’t become infected. For those that have swelling and discomfort, it’s generally things are not as clean down there as they need to be. I discovered moist wipes and keeping things spotless down below has pretty much kept things in check. Long drives in warm weather can be an issue but I have found liberal application of Anti-Monkeybutt powder helps quite a bit.

8

i could almost swear Cecil has been asked this very question; it’s a classic of sorts. It’s right up the alley for a SD colon…err column, at any rate.

9

In many ways the gastrointestinal canal is outside the body. A healthy and uninjured intestine doesn’t let microorganisms through into the blood.

Harmless when confined to the intestines. You don’t want your “friendly” gut bacteria in your bloodstream.

Human waste is absolutely full of microorganisms while still in the body.

10

Supposedly true of urine in a healthy individual. Definitely NOT true of feces.

11

This. But your body is also used to co-existing with your waste germs and can cope with it better than with your neighbor’s waste germs. That said, you can read about about what happens if your bowels rupture and it isn’t seen to immediately, or if a bit is missed during surgery. Yes, it can kill you. Easily.

Thank heavens for thorough surgeons.

12

As I understand it, the immune system is pretty active in the gut lining too - so in the case of minor injuries, the immune system is right on it.

13

A related question would be, what happens if a tear appears in the colon wall?

The answer is, plenty happens. I had a torn colon from a colonoscopy, and quickly had peritonitis (an infection of the peritoneum and the body cavity within) and needed emergency surgery and intensive antibiotic therapy on an emergency basis.

I’ve been curious about the potential of hemorrhoids infecting, and wonder what we will learn here. But the answer is definitely not that the human body is immune to whatever is contained inside the lower digestive system.