Travelers' diarrhea

Travelers' diarrhea is a stomach and intestinal infection that people develop while travelling to a new place, because they lack immunity to the food-borne pathogens found there. It is defined by passing unformed stool, counted as one or more or as three or more depending on the definition, and may come with abdominal cramps, nausea, fever, headache and bloating. Most travellers recover within three to four days with little or no treatment, though about 12 percent have symptoms for a week. Bacteria cause more than half of cases, usually through contaminated food and water, with enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli the most common cause in most regions. Prevention rests on eating properly cooked food, drinking bottled water and washing hands. Treatment is mainly oral rehydration, with antibiotics reserved for significant or persistent illness. It carries colloquial names such as Montezuma's revenge and Delhi belly.