11. Diagnosis of Stomach Flu
The typical practice for doctors is to diagnose a stomach flu based on the history and physical examination of the patient. At that, they would typically first just determine if the infection was caused by a virus (therefore a case of stomach flu) or by a bacteria (therefore a case of food poisoning). Laboratory testing is available to detect a rotavirus or a norovirus, the two more common causes of stomach flu. However, other than those two, laboratory tests currently are not effective in identifying the other viruses that cause the infection.
Stool exams are sometimes thought by non-medical personnel to be a necessary test for someone exhibiting the signs and symptoms of a stomach flu, but these tests are not used to identify the viruses causing the stomach flu. Stool exams are used to determine whether or not the patient has a bacterial or parasitic infection.
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