Travelers' Diarrhea in West Africa and Mexico: Fecal Transport Systems and Liquid Bismuth Subsalicylate for Self-Therapy

The goals of this study were threefold: to compare the etiology of travelers' diarrhea in West Africa and Mexico, to evaluate two fecal transport systems for the recovery of enteropathogens, and to verify the efficacy of liquid bismuth subsalicylate (BSS) in different locations and under differ...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:The Journal of infectious diseases 1988-05, Vol.157 (5), p.1008-1013
Main Authors: Steffen, Robert, Mathewson, John J., Ericsson, Charles D., DuPont, Herbert L., Helminger, Andrée, Balm, Timothy K., Wolff, Knut, Witassek, Felix
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Aeromonas - isolation & purification
Africa, Western
Animals
Antibacterial agents
Antibiotics. Antiinfectious agents. Antiparasitic agents
Bacterial diseases
Biological and medical sciences
Bismuth
Cryptosporidium - isolation & purification
Diarrhea
Diarrhea - drug therapy
Diarrhea - etiology
Diarrhea - microbiology
Dosage
Entamoeba histolytica - isolation & purification
Escherichia coli - isolation & purification
Etiology
Feces - microbiology
Feces - parasitology
Female
Gastroenterology. Liver. Pancreas. Abdomen
Giardia - isolation & purification
Human bacterial diseases
Humans
Infectious diseases
Male
Medical sciences
Mexico
Miscellaneous
Organometallic Compounds - therapeutic use
Original Articles
Pathogens
Pharmacology. Drug treatments
Placebos
Salicylates - therapeutic use
Shigella
Shigella - isolation & purification
Specimen Handling - instrumentation
Specimens
Symptoms
Travel
Travelers
Tropical medicine
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Description
Summary:The goals of this study were threefold: to compare the etiology of travelers' diarrhea in West Africa and Mexico, to evaluate two fecal transport systems for the recovery of enteropathogens, and to verify the efficacy of liquid bismuth subsalicylate (BSS) in different locations and under different entrance criteria for disease severity. The study populations consisted of 133 European tourists in West Africa and 112 American students in Mexico who had suffered from travelers' diarrhea. In 60% and 38% of the stool samples at the two study sites, similar proportions of enteropathogens were detected. A two-vial system consisting of Enteric Plus medium and polyvinyl alcohol fixative was slightly superior for identifying enteric pathogens than was a three-vial system with buffered glycerol saline, Cary-Blair medium with campylobacter antibodies, and polyvinyl alcohol fixative. In a parallel, double-blind, randomized trial, BSS significantly shortened disease duration at both study sites.
ISSN:0022-1899
1537-6613
DOI:10.1093/infdis/157.5.1008