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Chronic diarrhea associated with drinking untreated water.

J Parsonnet¹, S C Trock, C A Bopp

¹Centers for Disease Control, Atlanta, Georgia.

Annals of Internal Medicine

|June 15, 1989

Summary

An outbreak of chronic diarrhea in Illinois was linked to untreated well water served at a local restaurant. Despite extensive testing, the specific pathogen causing the persistent, non-bloody diarrhea remains unidentified.

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Area of Science:

Epidemiology
Infectious Diseases
Gastroenterology

Background:

Chronic diarrhea outbreaks pose significant public health challenges.
Identifying the source and causative agent is crucial for effective control.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate the cause of a chronic diarrhea outbreak in rural Illinois.
To characterize the clinical presentation of the illness.

Main Methods:

A case series of 72 patients with chronic diarrhea was conducted.
Case-control and cohort studies identified the vehicle of transmission.
Epidemiological investigations and laboratory analyses were performed.

Main Results:

The outbreak was strongly linked to a local restaurant and its untreated well water.

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Patients experienced severe, non-bloody diarrhea, urgency, incontinence, and weight loss.

No known enteropathogenic agents were detected, and antimicrobial therapies were ineffective.

Conclusions:

This study documents the first reported outbreak of chronic diarrhea linked to untreated water.
The causative agent and pathophysiological mechanisms remain unknown.