Gastroenteritis%20-%20bacterial Management

Traveler's Diarrhea

• Traveler should avoid:
  • Undercooked food except peeled fruits or vegetables
  • Fruit salads, chicken salads or lettuce
  • Non-bottled beverages and unpasteurized dairy products
  • Ice in drinks made from unfiltered/unbottled water source

Water Purification

• Travelers who are going to be living in rustic circumstances overseas will need to make arrangements for a safe water supply

Prophylactic Antibiotics

• Effective but cannot be recommended unless the complications of diarrhea in a traveler or severe dehydration in a person with an underlying medical condition cause the benefits of antibiotic prophylaxis to outweigh the risks
• May also be given to asymptomatic people whose stools have been tested positive for Salmonella enterica subspecies enterica serovar typhimurium to reduce spread of infection

Probiotics

• May decrease the incidence of diarrhea in travelers
• Eg Lactobacillus sp, Saccharomyces boulardii, Bifidobacterium sp

Cholera

• V cholera is spread through contaminated food and water
• Prevention depends on interruption of fecal-oral transmission
• Travelers to regions with cholera should follow precautions for the prevention of traveler’s diarrhea
• Water can be treated with Chlorine or Iodine, by filtration or by boiling

Shigellosis

• Drinking water can be treated with chlorine or iodine, by filtration or by boiling
• Good hygiene by strict hand washing should be practiced
• Proper food preparation and refrigeration may help prevent the spread of Shigella infection
• Occurrence of Shigella infection in daycare or school should prompt diagnostic investigation (stool culture, PCR tests) of students and staff members, and isolation of infected students/personnel

• Referral to an infectious disease specialist may be necessary in case of treatment failure