Contaminated Tylenol... signs of infection from contamination

kenziegirl · May 2010

So, the USDA says that some of the recalled Tylenol products could contain gram-negative bacteria. If you're concerned about your child having consumed it or having a reaction, this is the explanation of how it could affect a body. Info found here. I'm hoping that the "metal particles" aren't lead or toxic to children. DD had only 1 dose left in her bottle of Tylenol

What do Gram-Negative bacteria cause?
Gram-Negative bacteria infection leads to endotoxemia in which the endotoxin (a toxic substance associated with bacteria cell wall or core) come in contact with blood streams and gets mixed with blood. Once the endotoxin is mixed in blood, it becomes very hard to stop the toxic substance from harming/destroying healthy tissues and also causing inflammation of the tissues. The substance can reach any part of the body and start harm to the tissues. The Gram-Negative bacteria can be killed using medication but the endotoxin substance is very hard to clean from the blood.

Generally millions of Gram-Negative bacteria are present in animal intestine and a very small level of endotoxin associated with these bacteria is also cleaned/detoxified by liver, but once the level of endotoxin increases it may reach blood streams and spread to various parts of the body. Once the spread of endotoxin starts in body, the body immune system releases inflammatory substance in the body and causes the body temperature to rise (mild fever). If the presence of endotoxin inside the body is below the normal level which our immune system can fight back, then in such case destruction and inflammation of tissues at a very small level is the only harm the infection causes, but if the level of endotoxin is higher than the normal, then in such case the infection can be life-threatening in extreme cases (the effect/intensity of the infection depends on the amount of endotoxin present inside the body of host). The spread of endotoxin inside the host body and inflammatory reaction by the immune system is called endotoxic shock.

What are primary symptoms of endotoxic shock?
The preliminary symptoms of the endotoxic shock are:
1) Due to the inflammatory substance released by the body?s immune system in reaction to the endotoxin, the host experiences mild fever in the beginning of the endotoxic shock.
2) The host may also experience lack of hunger
3) Mild mental and physical depression
4) Due to the spread of toxic substance the host also experiences increase in heart rates and low pulse pressure
5) Problems like cold feet, cold ears and dehydration also are seen in the host suffering from endotoxic shock
6) The body temperature of the host shows sudden increase of decrease at any given time
7) Diarrhea, etc.