Treatment of traveler's diarrhea with sulfamethoxazole and trimethoprim and loperamide
Article Abstract:
Three drugs were compared for their effectiveness in the treatment of traveler's diarrhea. Loperamide hydrochloride, sulfamethoxazole and trimethoprim were given to 227 adults with acute diarrhea; the drugs were administered separately in single dose and multiple dose regimens or in a combination dosage (four experimental groups). A placebo (inert substance used as a control) was also administered. The patients in the study group were all from the United States and had contracted severe cases of diarrhea while in Mexico. The most effective treatment was the combination therapy of sulfamethoxazole-trimethoprim and loperamide given over a three-day period; 50 percent of the subjects were relieved of their symptoms within one hour of treatment. This group had the shortest duration of symptoms, required the least amount of additional loperamide after the initial dosage and had the shortest periods of diarrhea with leucocyte (white blood cells) or blood in the stools. The average duration of symptoms in individuals who took the placebo was 59 hours. A single large dose of sulfamethoxazole-trimethoprim was also an effective treatment for traveler's diarrhea. Loperamide was only effective when used in conjunction with antibiotics. Sulfamethoxazole-trimethoprim with loperamide is recommended as a treatment for patients with this condition.
Publication Name: JAMA, The Journal of the American Medical Association
Subject: Health
ISSN: 0098-7484
Year: 1990
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Oral aztreonam, a poorly absorbed yet effective therapy for bacterial diarrhea in US travelers to Mexico
Article Abstract:
Patients with travelers' diarrhea may be treated effectively with oral aztreonam. Of 191 US students with diarrhea acquired in Mexico, 98 were treated with 100 milligrams of oral aztreonam three times per day, and 93 received a placebo, an inactive substance. Diarrhea lasted an average of 40 hours less in students treated with aztreonam than in those who received a placebo. The duration of diarrhea caused by the bacterium Escherichia coli was an average of 50 hours less in students treated with aztreonam, compared to those treated with a placebo. Diarrhea persisted after the first five days of treatment in six students (6%) in the aztreonam group, and in 25 students (27%) in the placebo group. Of 80 students who had their feces analysed after treatment, 40 had been treated with aztreonam, and 40 had received a placebo. The microorganism that caused the diarrhea was no longer present in the feces of 38 students (95%) treated with aztreonam, and in 28 students (70%) who received a placebo.
Publication Name: JAMA, The Journal of the American Medical Association
Subject: Health
ISSN: 0098-7484
Year: 1992
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Epidemiology, Etiology, and Impact of Traveler's Diarrhea in Jamaica
Article Abstract:
Traveler's diarrhea still affects many travelers. Among 30,369 short-term visitors to Jamaica who filled out a survey at the airport before flying home, 24% had developed diarrhea while in the country and 12% had the classic symptoms of traveler's diarrhea. Less than 3% of the visitors avoided high-risk foods such as salads, dairy products, tap water, ice cream, hamburgers, and incompletely cooked chicken, lobster, or shrimp. Analysis of stool samples from 322 patients with traveler's diarrhea revealed Escherichia coli, rotavirus, and Salmonella as the most frequent pathogens.
Publication Name: JAMA, The Journal of the American Medical Association
Subject: Health
ISSN: 0098-7484
Year: 1999
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