title: Diarrheal disease aboard a U.S. Navy ship after a brief port visit to a high risk area.
abstract: In August 1988, a study was conducted to determine the etiology and risk factors associated with travelers' diarrhea among U.S. military personnel after a 5-day port visit to Alexandria, Egypt. Twenty-one percent of the 2,747 evaluated crew members of the USS John F. Kennedy reported an episode of acute diarrhea, which led to 155 sick-call visits and at least 110 lost man-days. The most common pathogen identified was enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli, and all isolated bacterial enteropathogens were sensitive to quinolone drugs. Independent risk factors for the development of diarrhea included: (1) consuming any meal ashore and specifically eating meats, desserts, or a buffet meal; and (2) a recent history of travelers' diarrhea. These data indicate that even brief port visits to developing countries pose a major threat to the health of U.S. shipboard personnel.
authors.affiliation: Bacteriology Division, U.S. Naval Medical Research Unit No. 3, Cairo, Egypt.
authors.forename: R L
authors.initials: RL
authors.lastname: Haberberger
authors.forename: D A
authors.initials: DA
authors.lastname: Scott
authors.forename: S A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Thornton
authors.forename: K C
authors.initials: KC
authors.lastname: Hyams
mesh_terms: D000208:Acute Disease; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D003967:Diarrhea / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000382:microbiology; D004926:Escherichia coli / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000472:pathogenicity; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D008889:Military Personnel; D009326:Naval Medicine; D012044:Regression Analysis; D012307:Risk Factors; D014481:United States