title: Advances in the treatment of travelers' diarrhea.
abstract: Diarrhea is the most common complaint reported by travelers from industrialized countries visiting developing nations. High-risk areas for travelers' diarrhea (TD) include South Asia, Sub-Saharan Africa, and Latin America, while moderate-risk areas include Southeast Asia, Middle East, Oceania and the Caribbean. Bacterial pathogens are the major cause of TD. Recent advances in the therapy for diarrhea include a better understanding of the potential benefit of symptomatic and antimicrobial therapy. The mainstay of treatment includes antibacterial therapy with one of three drugs, a fluoroquinolone, rifaximin, or azithromycin. Probiotics have been used in preliminary studies for both treatment and prevention of TD, but more studies are needed with these biologic agents. The aim of this review is to identify the recent advances in the therapy of TD and to provide recommendations for treatment during international travel.
authors.affiliation: University of Texas School of Public Health, 1200 Hermann Pressler Dr., Houston, TX, USA.
authors.forename: Mercedes
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Paredes-Paredes
authors.forename: Jose
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Flores-Figueroa
authors.forename: Herbert L
authors.initials: HL
authors.lastname: Dupont
mesh_terms: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D000930:Antidiarrheals / Q000627:therapeutic use; D003967:Diarrhea / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000209:etiology / Q000628:therapy; D005440:Fluid Therapy; D006801:Humans; D019936:Probiotics / Q000627:therapeutic use; D014195:Travel
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D000930:Antidiarrheals