Traveler's diarrhea-I. Definition, etiology and epidemiology

With the development of rapid and convenient means of transportation, several million persons travel from industrialized countries to developing countries every year. From USA alone, approximately 4 million persons visit Mexico annually. These travelers are at risk to develop several infections during their stay abroad, but the most commonly experienced illness is diarrhea. The attack rate of diarrhea in travelers may be as high as 25 to 50 percent; 30 percent of those who get diarrhea are ill enough to be confined to bed and another 40% have to change their scheduled travel plans. The disease affects all ranks and it has achieved worldwide fame by its several euphemisms. Various epithets used to describe this illness include GI trots, Aden gut, Barsa belly, Turkey trot, Delhi belly, Hongkong dog, Montezuma's revenge, gyppsy tummy and turista. There have been considerable advances in our understanding about the etiology and epidemiology of this disease in the last two decades and the purpose of this review is to highlight some of this new information.