Gastroenteritis arises from ingestion of viruses, certain bacteria, or parasites.

Food that has spoiled may also cause illness. Certain medications and excessive alcohol can irritate the digestive tract to the point of inducing gastroenteritis. Regardless of the cause, the symptoms of gastroenteritis include diarrhea, nausea and vomiting, and abdominal http://www.answers.com/topic/pain-1 and cramps. Sufferers may also experience bloating, low fever, and overall tiredness. Typically, the symptoms last only two to three days, but some viruses may last up to a week. Gastroenteritis is a clinical syndrome caused by various viral, bacterial, and parasitic enteropathogens. The mechanisms potentially responsible for viraldiarrhea include lysis of enterocytes, interference with the brush border function that leads to malabsorption of electrolytes, stimulation of cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP), and carbohydrate malabsorption. The proposed pathophysiology of bacterial gastroenteritis involves the elaboration of toxin by enterotoxigenic pathogens and the invasion and inflammation of mucosa by invasive pathogens. Parasitic organisms invade epithelial cells and cause villus atrophy and eventual malabsorption.

http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_is_the_pathophysiology_of_acute_gastroenteritis http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/964131-overview#a0104