| [ Summary ] |
Traveler's diarrhea is an important disease that frequently is experienced when traveling in developing countries. This disorder is not associated with a specific etiology, but represents a series of clinical syndromes, involving diarrhea as the main sign. In particular, an important issue is infectious diarrhea related to various enteropathogenic bacteria associated with diarrhea symptoms related to various etiologies. In Japan, the incidence of class II infectious diseases that require countermeasures for preventing epidemiological spreading, such as cholera and bacillary dysentery, is relatively high. However, various food poisoning-causing bacteria, including enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli, comprise the highest percentage of etiological factors. Traveler's diarrhea is also characterized by a high incidence of mixed infection in which several kinds of enteropathogenic bacteria are simultaneously detected. For proper diagnosis, the fact that the patient has traveled abroad should be confirmed, and bacteriological examination should be performed. |