Final answer:
Dysentery causes severe diarrhea with blood and mucus due to damage to the colon's epithelial cells, while gastroenteritis involves diarrhea and vomiting without necessarily causing bloody stools.
Step-by-step explanation:
The diarrhea caused by dysentery is different from other types of diarrhea. Dysentery is a type of gastrointestinal infection leading to severe diarrhea with the presence of blood and mucus in the stool. This condition can lead to damage to the epithelial cells of the colon, and stools become watery and may contain blood and excess mucus. On the other hand, gastroenteritis is an inflammation of both the stomach and intestines, typically causing diarrhea, vomiting, and abdominal pain but not necessarily leading to the presence of blood and mucus in stools as seen in dysentery.Therefore, the primary difference between dysentery and gastroenteritis in terms of diarrhea is the presence of neutrophils (PMNs) in the stool, which is indicative of invasive dysentery. In gastroenteritis, although diarrhea is a common symptom, it does not usually include blood unless the inflammation is severe.