Search research articles

ABOUT JoVE

Overview Leadership Blog JoVE Help Center

AUTHORS

Publishing Process Editorial Board Scope & Policies Peer Review FAQ Submit

LIBRARIANS

Testimonials Subscriptions Access Resources Library Advisory Board FAQ

RESEARCH

JoVE Journal Methods Collections JoVE Encyclopedia of Experiments Archive

EDUCATION

JoVE Core JoVE Business JoVE Science Education JoVE Lab Manual Faculty Resource Center Faculty Site

Terms & Conditions of Use

Search research articles

Related Experiment Videos

Persistent diarrhea in the returned traveler

N M Thielman¹, R L Guerrant

¹Department of Medicine, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, USA.

Infectious Disease Clinics of North America

|July 11, 1998

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Related Concept Videos

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by

Same author

Dietary intake from complementary feeding is associated with intestinal barrier function and environmental enteropathy in Brazilian children from the MAL-ED cohort study.

The British journal of nutrition·2020

Same author

Knowledge, attitudes, and preventative practices regarding ischemic heart disease among emergency department patients in northern Tanzania.

Public health·2019

Same author

Infant feeding practices and determinant variables for early complementary feeding in the first 8 months of life: results from the Brazilian MAL-ED cohort site.

Public health nutrition·2018

Same author

Critical Role of Zinc in a New Murine Model of Enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli Diarrhea.

Infection and immunity·2018

Same author

Improving our understanding of antibiotic resistance: The relevance of surveillance at the population level.

South African medical journal = Suid-Afrikaanse tydskrif vir geneeskunde·2017

Same author

Antibiotic resistance patterns and beta-lactamase identification in Escherichia coli isolated from young children in rural Limpopo Province, South Africa: The MAL-ED cohort.

South African medical journal = Suid-Afrikaanse tydskrif vir geneeskunde·2017

Diagnosing chronic diarrhea in returned travelers requires evaluating travel history, illness type, and medical conditions. Protozoa are common causes, but other infections and conditions must be considered.

Area of Science:

Infectious Diseases
Gastroenterology
Travel Medicine

Background:

Chronic diarrhea is a common concern for returned travelers.
Identifying the etiology is crucial for appropriate management.
Multiple potential causes exist, ranging from infectious agents to non-infectious conditions.

Purpose of the Study:

To outline the differential diagnosis of chronic diarrhea in returned travelers.
To emphasize the importance of a thorough patient evaluation.
To discuss common and less common etiologies.

Main Methods:

Review of clinical presentation and diagnostic considerations.
Identification of common pathogens like protozoa (e.g., Giardia lamblia, Cryptosporidium parvum).

Related Experiment Videos

Consideration of opportunistic infections (microsporidia, Isospora) in immunocompromised individuals and Clostridioides difficile colitis in those with prior antibiotic use.

Main Results:

Protozoa are frequently identified causes of diarrhea in this population.
Immunocompromised status increases the likelihood of specific parasitic infections.
History of antimicrobial use suggests potential for C. difficile infection.

Conclusions:

Chronic diarrhea in returned travelers has diverse causes.
A comprehensive evaluation including travel history, illness characteristics, and patient's medical status is essential.
While many causes exist, idiopathic chronic diarrhea is often self-limiting after excluding other conditions.