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Acute diarrhoea in adults: a prospective study.

W M Pryor1, W A Bye, D H Curran

  • 1Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, Camperdown, NSW.

The Medical Journal of Australia
|November 16, 1987
PubMed
Summary

This study identified common causes of acute diarrhea in adults, finding that clinical symptoms alone are often unreliable for pinpointing specific pathogens, necessitating stool cultures for severe cases.

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Area of Science:

  • Infectious Diseases
  • Microbiology
  • Public Health

Background:

  • Acute diarrhea remains a significant cause of morbidity.
  • Identifying causative agents is crucial for effective treatment and public health interventions.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To determine the spectrum of infective agents causing acute diarrhea in adults.
  • To correlate identified pathogens with clinical, epidemiological, and laboratory findings.
  • To assess the utility of clinical features in predicting specific etiologies.

Main Methods:

  • Prospective study design involving 74 adult patients with acute diarrhea.
  • Identification of 34 potential pathogens using microbiological techniques.
  • Analysis of clinical presentation, epidemiological data, and laboratory results.

Main Results:

  • Thirty-two (43.2%) patients had identified pathogens, with Campylobacter spp. being the most frequent.
  • Other identified pathogens included rotavirus, Clostridium difficile, Salmonella enteritidis, and Giardia lamblia.
  • A seasonal trend was observed for Campylobacter, predominantly in summer.
  • Clostridium difficile infections presented distinctly with post-antibiotic onset and subacute symptoms.
  • Clinical and epidemiological features were poor predictors of specific pathogens, except for Clostridium difficile.

Conclusions:

  • Campylobacter spp. and rotavirus are common causes of acute infectious diarrhea in this population.
  • Clinical presentation is not a reliable indicator for pathogen identification in most cases of acute diarrhea.
  • Stool culture is essential for diagnosing severe or prolonged diarrhea to guide antimicrobial therapy.

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