Occurs in 20% to 50% of people travelling to a less developed country, due to contaminated food or water, usually within the first 2 weeks of exposure.
Prevention strategies include careful selection of food and beverages.
Treatment at the onset of diarrhoea with either quinolone antibiotics, azithromycin, or rifaximin, in addition to the use of loperamide, will quickly alleviate symptoms of bacterial traveller's diarrhoea.
Quinolone resistance is a growing problem, particularly in
Campylobacter
infections acquired in south and SE Asia, where azithromycin is a better treatment choice than ciprofloxacin.
Traveller's diarrhoea (TD) is defined as ≥3 unformed stools in 24 hours accompanied by at least 1 of the following: fever, nausea, vomiting, cramps, tenesmus, or bloody stools (dysentery), in a traveller from a developed country visiting a less developed country. It is usually a benign self-limited illness lasting 3 to 5 days (mean 3.6 days).