Izabela Poniedzialek (right).

The 18-year-old Polish girl who was found dead in her hotel on Tuesday died from blood poisoning following an untreated bowel infection.

Sources said that Izabela Poniedzialek had been complaining of problems for a couple of days but did not get treatment.

It turned out she had a bowel infection that ended up developing into septicaemia – which meant the bacteria entered her bloodstream, poisoning her.

Ms Poniedzialek had come to Malta, about a month ago, with a group of Polish students and teachers from the technical school Technikum Ekonomiczno-Hotelarskie Number 4 in Krakow.

The group was scheduled to leave Malta on Sunday. They came to gain job experience working in hospitality while practising their English and were staying at the Plevna Hotel in Sliema.

On Tuesday morning a group leader went to Ms Poniedzialek’s room as the transport was waiting and found her dead.

She shared a room with another two students who had left earlier and spoke to her before leaving that morning, sources said.

Police were called and found no signs of foul play. Magistrate Claire Stafrace Zammit ordered an inquiry.

The cause of death – septicaemia due to bowel infection – was established in an autopsy carried out yesterday. Professor Victor Grech, a paediatrician, said that such cases were very rare in healthy young people.

While he did not know the full details of the case, he stressed that not all cases of bowel problems ended in blood infection.

“People need to be alert if they experience an unusual degree of symptoms such as excessive vomiting, diarrhoea or high fever. In these cases they should not discount the symptoms as being simple gastro intestinal problems.

“This is general for all ages,” he said.