Dangerous bacteria in your bowels

[Chris S]

Your bowels contain dangerous bacteria such as salmonella and E. coli.
What stops them making their way up to your small intestine, getting absorbed and poisoning you?

 

[postman]

The vast amounts of cake, chocolate and nuts.It makes a sort of pebble dashing paste.Nothing gets through.

 

[CanucksTraveller]

 

[vickster]

Immune system?

Have you tried Googling?

 

[Ian H]

Have you tried Googling?

Do you do that with a tube and soapy water?

 

[vickster]

Do you do that with a tube and soapy water?

If that's what you personally call such behaviour?

 

[jefmcg]

Your bowels contain dangerous bacteria such as salmonella and E. coli.
What stops them making their way up to your small intestine, getting absorbed and poisoning you?

Your micro biome.

Plus you've already been exposed to any pathogens in your poop, so they are less dangerous to you than someone else's.

 

[dan_bo]

A cunning evolutionary collaboration between Biology and Physiology.

 

[Globalti]

I saw something on TV recently about a family who got shipwrecked and survived by giving themselves enemas with the filthy water slopping around in the bottom of the boat, on the grounds that the water would be absorbed by the bowel but not the bacteria. Must ask my cycling buddy about that one as he's a gastroenterologist.

My buddy quite often tells me fascinating facts about the human bowel; one was that the colon is equipped with very sensitive nerves, which allow the brain to distinguish between solid, liquid and gaseous contents. It's not always infallible though.

 

[jefmcg]

Although if your own microbiome is deficient, there is a treatment colloquially called a poo transfer, which is from someone else.

Oh dear. I never hear about that colloquially, so have only heard it referred by the very medical and not at all disgusting sounding faecal transplant.

Though I gather if you have been suffering from c difficile for years, your threshold of disgust is so lowered you'll arrange to do this with a friend if you can't get a doctor to help.

 

[ColinJ]

My buddy quite often tells me fascinating facts about the human bowel; one was that the colon is equipped with very sensitive nerves, which allow the brain to distinguish between solid, liquid and gaseous contents. It's not always infallible though.

Spoiler: Warning - faecal humour!

 

[Chris S]

I saw something on TV recently about a family who got shipwrecked and survived by giving themselves enemas with the filthy water slopping around in the bottom of the boat, on the grounds that the water would be absorbed by the bowel but not the bacteria.

I know alcohol can be absorbed through the bowel ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alcohol_enema ) but can water be as well? People would be continually recycling water from their own faeces.

 

[Globalti]

The large bowel is the area of the digestive system where excess water is reabsorbed from the contents. It's where the body goes looking for water first when there's a shortage.

 

[Bodhbh]

I know alcohol can be absorbed through the bowel ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alcohol_enema ) but can water be as well? People would be continually recycling water from their own faeces.

Christ that has to smart surely. Reminds me of the old urban myth at school that rubbing aftershave on various sensitive bits would give you an instant orgasm. No one was ever daft enough to try it. And lol at overdosing via Sherry enema.

 

[slowmotion]

The large bowel is the area of the digestive system where excess water is reabsorbed from the contents. It's where the body goes looking for water first when there's a shortage.

I can't imagine that it's fussy about the direction whence it came. Filtering bilge water through your bum has to be a winner.