Summary
Differentials
Common
- Rotavirus
- Norovirus
- Enteric adenovirus
- Campylobacter enteritis (Campylobacter jejuni and Campylobacter coli)
- Shigella
- Salmonella
- Escherichia coli (enterotoxigenic, enteropathogenic, enteroinvasive, enterohaemorrhagic, enteroaggregative)
- Clostridioides difficile
- Vibrio cholerae
- Staphylococcus aureus
- Bacillus cereus
- Clostridium perfringens
- Listeria
- Giardia
- Entamoeba histolytica
- Microsporidiosis
- Drugs
- Ulcerative colitis
- Crohn's disease
- Irritable bowel syndrome
Uncommon
- Astrovirus
- Yersinia
- Aeromonas
- Plesiomonas
- Cryptosporidium
- Cyclospora
- Cystoisospora belli
- Klebsiella oxytoca
- Bowel ischaemia
- Radiation injury
Contributors
Authors
Tisha N. Lunsford, MD FACGl AGAF
Director (Motility Section)
Consultant (Division of Gastroenterology)
Department of Internal Medicine
Mayo Clinic Arizona
Phoenix
AZ
Disclosures
TL declares that she has no competing interests.
Acknowledgements
Dr Tisha Lunsford would like to gratefully acknowledge Dr Sean Pawlowski, Dr Mamoon Elbedawi, Dr Peter Draganov, and Dr Cirle A. Warren, previous contributors to this topic. SP, ME, PD, and CAW declare that they have no competing interests.
Peer reviewers
George E. Reese, MBBS, MRCS
Honorary Clinical Research Fellow
Department of Biosurgery and Surgical Technology
Imperial College
St Mary's Hospital
London
UK
Disclosures
GER declares that he has no competing interests.
Daniel A. Leffler, MD, MS
Senior Medical Resident and Clinical Fellow in Nutrition and Gastroenterology
Department of Gastroenterology
Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center
Boston
MA
Disclosures
DAL declares that he has no competing interests.
Peer reviewer acknowledgements
BMJ Best Practice topics are updated on a rolling basis in line with developments in evidence and guidance. The peer reviewers listed here have reviewed the content at least once during the history of the topic.
Disclosures
Peer reviewer affiliations and disclosures pertain to the time of the review.
References
Key articles
Riddle MS, DuPont HL, Connor BA. ACG clinical guideline: diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of acute diarrheal infections in adults. Am J Gastroenterol. 2016 May;111(5):602-22.Full text Abstract
World Gastroenterology Organisation. Acute diarrhea in adults and children: a global perspective. 2012 [internet publication].Full text
Shane AL, Mody RK, Crump JA, et al. 2017 Infectious Diseases Society of America clinical practice guidelines for the diagnosis and management of infectious diarrhea. Clin Infect Dis. 2017 Nov 29;65(12):e45-80.Full text Abstract
McDonald LC, Gerding DN, Johnson S, et al. Clinical practice guidelines for clostridium difficile infection in adults and children: 2017 update by the Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA) and Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America (SHEA). Clin Infect Dis. 2018 Mar 19;66(7):e1-48.Full text Abstract
Reference articles
A full list of sources referenced in this topic is available to users with access to all of BMJ Best Practice.
Guidelines
- CDC Yellow Book 2026: health information for international travel - post-travel diarrhea
- Guide to utilization of the microbiology laboratory for diagnosis of infectious diseases: 2024 update by IDSA/ASM
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