Ingestion is the consumption of a substance by an organism. In , it normally is accomplished by taking in a substance through the mouth into the gastrointestinal tract, such as through eating or drinking. In single-celled organisms, ingestion takes place by absorbing a substance through the cell membrane.
Besides items, substances that may be ingested include medication (where ingestion is termed oral administration), recreational drugs, and substances considered inedible, such as Foreign body or excretion. Ingestion is a common route taken by and entering the body.
Ingestion can also refer to a mechanism picking up something and making it enter an internal hollow of that mechanism, e.g. " a grille was fitted to prevent the pump from ingesting driftwood".
Pathogens
Some
are transmitted via ingestion, including
,
bacteria, and
. Most commonly, this takes place via the faecal-oral route. An intermediate step is often involved, such as
drinking water contaminated by
faeces or
food prepared by workers who fail to practice adequate
hand-washing, and is more common in regions where
Sewage treatment sewage is common.
transmitted via the fecal-oral route include
hepatitis A,
polio, and
cholera.
Some pathogenic organisms are typically ingested by other routes.
-
of the parasite Trichinella cyst within and are transmitted when a new host eats the infected flesh of a former host animal.
-
The parasite Dracunculus is ingested in drinking water, which is contaminated with larvae released as the parasite emerges from the host's skin.
-
The bacterium Salmonella most commonly infects humans via consumption of undercooked eggs.
Foreign objects
Watch battery, also called button cells, are often mistakenly ingested, particularly by
and the
elderly. They may be mistaken for a
medication pill because of their size and shape, or they may be swallowed after being held in the mouth while the battery is being changed. Battery ingestion can cause medical problems including blocked
airway,
vomiting,
irritability, persistent
drooling, and
rash (due to
nickel metal
allergy).
Abnormal ingestion
Pica is an abnormal appetite for non-
nutrition objects or for food items in a form not normally eaten, such as
flour.
Coprophagia is the consumption of
feces, an abnormal ingestive behavior common in some animals.
