Freebase(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition: Coccobacillus. A coccobacillus is a type of bacterium with a shape that is intermediate between cocci and bacilli. Coccobacilli are therefore in essence very short rods which may be mistaken for cocci. Haemophilus influenzae, Gardnerella vaginalis, and Chlamydia trachomatis are coccobacilli. Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans is a gram-negative coccobacillus that is prevalent in subgingival plaques. Acinetobacter strains may grow on solid media as coccobacilli. Bordetella pertussis is a gram-negative coccobacillus responsible for causing whooping cough. Coxiella burnetti is also a coccobacillus. Bacteria from the Brucellae genus are medically important coccobacilli that cause brucellosis.
Bowel incontinence, also known as fecal (UK: faecal) incontinence, is an inability to control bowel movements. The person's stools (feces) leak from the rectum uncontrollably. Bowel incontinence can vary in severity from passing a small amount of feces when breaking wind, to total loss of bowel control. Bowel incontinence is a sign or symptom of a condition or disease; it is not a condition or disease in itself. Generally, bowel incontinence is not life-threatening and does not impact negatively on the patient's health.
Fecal incontinence (FI), also called faecal incontinence, bowel incontinence, anal incontinence, accidental bowel leakage, or (in some forms) encopresis, is a lack of control over defecation, leading to involuntary loss of bowel contentsâincluding flatus (gas), liquid stool elements and mucus, or solid feces.