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Travellers' Diarrhoea (traveller + diarrhoea)

Distribution by Scientific Domains
Medical Sciences100%

Selected Abstracts

Review article: rifaximin, a minimally absorbed oral antibacterial, for the treatment of travellers' diarrhoea

ALIMENTARY PHARMACOLOGY & THERAPEUTICS, Issue 11 2010
P. LAYER
Aliment Pharmacol Ther,31, 1155,1164 Summary Background, Travellers' diarrhoea, a common problem worldwide with significant medical impact, is generally treated with anti-diarrhoeal agents and fluid replacement. Systemic antibiotics are also used in selected cases, but these may be associated with adverse effects, bacterial resistance and drug,drug interactions. Aim, To review the clinical evidence supporting the efficacy and safety of the minimally absorbed oral antibiotic rifaximin in travellers' diarrhoea. Methods, PubMed and the Cochrane Register of Controlled Clinical Trials (to January 2010) and International Society of Travel Medicine congress abstracts (2003,2009) were searched to identify relevant publications. Results, A total of 10 publications were included in the analysis. When administered three times daily for 3 days, rifaximin is superior to placebo or loperamide; it is at least as effective as ciprofloxacin in reducing duration of illness and restoring wellbeing in patients with travellers' diarrhoea, both with and without identification of a pathogen, as well as in diarrhoea caused by Escherichia coli infection. Rifaximin demonstrates only minimal potential for development of bacterial resistance and for cytochrome P450-mediated drug,drug interactions, and its tolerability profile is similar to that of placebo. Conclusion, When antibiotic therapy is warranted in uncomplicated travellers' diarrhoea, rifaximin may be considered as a first-line treatment option because of its favourable efficacy, tolerability and safety profiles. [source]

Systematic review: the epidemiology and clinical features of travellers' diarrhoea

ALIMENTARY PHARMACOLOGY & THERAPEUTICS, Issue 3 2009
H. L. DUPONT
Summary Background, Travellers' diarrhoea is the most common medical complaint among persons venturing into developing areas from industrialized regions. Aim, To review recent developments dealing with microbiological, clinical, pathophysiological and therapeutic aspects of travellers' diarrhoea. Methods, The author's extensive file plus a review of publications listed in PubMed on January 22, 2009 on the topic of travellers' diarrhoea were reviewed. Results, Travellers' diarrhoea is largely caused by detectable and undetected bacterial enteropathogens, explaining the remarkable effectiveness of antibacterial agents in prophylaxis and therapy of the illness. A number of host genetic polymorphisms have been recently linked with susceptibility to travellers' diarrhoea. Novel antisecretory agents are being developed for treatment considering their physiological effects in acute diarrhoea. All travellers should be armed with one of three antibacterial drugs, ciprofloxacin, rifaximin or azithromycin, before their trips to use in self therapy should diarrhoea occur during travel. Loperamide may treat milder forms of travellers' diarrhoea and can be employed with antibacterial drugs. Conclusions, Diarrhoea will continue to plague international travellers to high-risk regions. More studies of the incidence rate, relative important of the various pathogens by geographical region of the world, host risk factors and optimal therapeutic approach are needed. [source]

What is the evidence for the use of probiotics in the treatment of inflammatory bowel disease?

JOURNAL OF CLINICAL NURSING, Issue 7-8 2010
Virginia A Cary
Aims and objectives., The purpose of this article is to investigate the use of probiotics in the treatment of inflammatory bowel disease. Background., Probiotics have been successfully used to treat various acute illnesses such as Clostridium difficile infection, rotovirus diarrhoea and traveller's diarrhoea. Recently, some studies have reported success with probiotics in the treatment of chronic intestinal diseases such as inflammatory bowel disease. Design., Literature review. Methods., A literature search was performed to include studies on Bifidobacteria -fermented milk, Escherichia coli, Lactobacillus, Saccharomyces boulardii, VSL #3 and probiotic use. Results of the literature are analysed, and a discussion is made regarding evaluation of the literature and implications for care. Results., The majority of probiotics studied have proven to have beneficial effects in the treatment of inflammatory bowel disease, especially when taken as a dietary adjunctive to standard treatment. All probiotics studied, with the exception of Lactobacillus GG and LA1, demonstrated positive results. Conclusions., The increasing use of probiotics combined with the insufficient knowledge regarding the use of probiotics in treating inflammatory bowel disease requires that future multilevel, multicentre large randomised control trials be conducted to understand better the specific measures and effectiveness of such treatment. Relevance to clinical practice., Given that few clinical trials exist to study the potential role of probiotics in the treatment of inflammatory bowel disease, it is imperative that healthcare providers become knowledgeable about the use of probiotics and their effects on inflammatory bowel disease. [source]

Probiotics and gastrointestinal diseases

JOURNAL OF INTERNAL MEDICINE, Issue 1 2005
Å. SULLIVAN
Abstract. There is increasing evidence indicating health benefits by consumption of foods containing microorganisms, i.e. probiotics. A number of clinical trials have been performed to evaluate the effects in the prevention and treatment of gastrointestinal diseases caused by pathogenic microorganisms or by disturbances in the normal microflora. Gastrointestinal infections caused by Helicobacter pylori, traveller's diarrhoea, rotavirus diarrhoea, antibiotic-associated diarrhoea (AAD) and Clostridium difficile -induced diarrhoea are conditions that have been studied. There are also studies performed on the preventive effect of probiotics on radiation-induced diarrhoea and diarrhoea in tube-fed patients. Inflammatory bowel disease and irritable bowel syndrome, two idiopathic conditions where alterations in the normal microflora have been implicated as responsible for initiation, are two further areas where the use of probiotics has been regarded as promising. The results from clinical studies have not been conclusive in that the effects of probiotics have been strain-dependent and different study designs have been used. Treatment of acute diarrhoea in children and prevention of AAD are the two most justified areas for the application of probiotics. [source]

Review article: rifaximin, a minimally absorbed oral antibacterial, for the treatment of travellers' diarrhoea

ALIMENTARY PHARMACOLOGY & THERAPEUTICS, Issue 11 2010
P. LAYER
Aliment Pharmacol Ther,31, 1155,1164 Summary Background, Travellers' diarrhoea, a common problem worldwide with significant medical impact, is generally treated with anti-diarrhoeal agents and fluid replacement. Systemic antibiotics are also used in selected cases, but these may be associated with adverse effects, bacterial resistance and drug,drug interactions. Aim, To review the clinical evidence supporting the efficacy and safety of the minimally absorbed oral antibiotic rifaximin in travellers' diarrhoea. Methods, PubMed and the Cochrane Register of Controlled Clinical Trials (to January 2010) and International Society of Travel Medicine congress abstracts (2003,2009) were searched to identify relevant publications. Results, A total of 10 publications were included in the analysis. When administered three times daily for 3 days, rifaximin is superior to placebo or loperamide; it is at least as effective as ciprofloxacin in reducing duration of illness and restoring wellbeing in patients with travellers' diarrhoea, both with and without identification of a pathogen, as well as in diarrhoea caused by Escherichia coli infection. Rifaximin demonstrates only minimal potential for development of bacterial resistance and for cytochrome P450-mediated drug,drug interactions, and its tolerability profile is similar to that of placebo. Conclusion, When antibiotic therapy is warranted in uncomplicated travellers' diarrhoea, rifaximin may be considered as a first-line treatment option because of its favourable efficacy, tolerability and safety profiles. [source]

Systematic review: the epidemiology and clinical features of travellers' diarrhoea

ALIMENTARY PHARMACOLOGY & THERAPEUTICS, Issue 3 2009
H. L. DUPONT
Summary Background, Travellers' diarrhoea is the most common medical complaint among persons venturing into developing areas from industrialized regions. Aim, To review recent developments dealing with microbiological, clinical, pathophysiological and therapeutic aspects of travellers' diarrhoea. Methods, The author's extensive file plus a review of publications listed in PubMed on January 22, 2009 on the topic of travellers' diarrhoea were reviewed. Results, Travellers' diarrhoea is largely caused by detectable and undetected bacterial enteropathogens, explaining the remarkable effectiveness of antibacterial agents in prophylaxis and therapy of the illness. A number of host genetic polymorphisms have been recently linked with susceptibility to travellers' diarrhoea. Novel antisecretory agents are being developed for treatment considering their physiological effects in acute diarrhoea. All travellers should be armed with one of three antibacterial drugs, ciprofloxacin, rifaximin or azithromycin, before their trips to use in self therapy should diarrhoea occur during travel. Loperamide may treat milder forms of travellers' diarrhoea and can be employed with antibacterial drugs. Conclusions, Diarrhoea will continue to plague international travellers to high-risk regions. More studies of the incidence rate, relative important of the various pathogens by geographical region of the world, host risk factors and optimal therapeutic approach are needed. [source]