| dc.description.abstract | Most diarrheas affecting man in developing nations have an: infectious origin, and
are transmitted from person to person or indirectly thorough water, food and utensils contaminated with the agents. About two thirds of all diarrheas observed in the community
can be found associated with one or more agents, in excess of occurrence in matched
controls. Rotaviruses and enterotoxigenic Escherichia coil are commonest in developing
countries, followed by Shigella and Campylobacter fetus jejuni. In industrial nations,
rotaviruses are the commonest, and enterotoxigenic bacteria very rare.
Infants and young children are very susceptible, and suffer from severe attacks.
The effect in children is a deterioration of the nutritional state (wasting and stunting);
death may occur in severely dehidrated of toxic cases if proper assistance is not provided.
Treatment consists in replacement of water and electrolyte losses by oral rehidration,
and in administration of antimicrobial drugs, if justified. Breast-feeding is the most
important defense mechanism to curtail incidence and to ameliorate symptoms particularly
under poverty conditions. Prevention rests on improvement of education and environmental
sanitation. | |
