Traveler's Diarrhea (cont.)
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Traveler's Diarrhea Causes
You can become infected by eating or drinking food or water that has come in contact with feces. Food and water become contaminated when they are handled by people with fecal content on their hands—not in direct contact with feces. Restaurants are common sites for exposure to this type of food poisoning. Food from street vendors is even more risky. Eating in a private home is the safest food source.
- High-risk food and drink: Certain items are considered high risk for transmission and include the following:
- Raw or undercooked meats
- Raw leafy vegetables
- Seafood
- Unpeeled fruits
- Unpasteurized dairy products
- Tap water (A common mistake travelers make is to avoid tap water but to place ice cubes in a beverage. Contaminated ice is still able to transmit disease. Do not use ice cubes.)
- Raw or undercooked meats
- Safe products to eat and drink
- Bottled carbonated beverages
- Hot coffee or tea
- Water boiled or treated appropriately with chlorine
- Bottled carbonated beverages
- Specific bacterial causes: Up to 85% of traveler's diarrhea is caused by bacteria. The remaining cases are caused by viruses and protozoa. The most common organism causing traveler’s diarrhea is Escherichia coli accounting for up to 72% of cases in some regions.
- Other bacterial causes
- Subtypes of E coli
- Shigella species
- Salmonella species
- Campylobacter jejuni
- Vibrio species
- Subtypes of E coli
- Protozoa causing traveler's diarrhea
- Giardia duodenalis, known as giardiasis
- Entamoeba histolytica
- Cryptosporidium parvum
- Giardia duodenalis, known as giardiasis
- Viral causes
- Norwalk virus
- Rotavirus virus
- Enteroviruses
- Norwalk virus
Next: Traveler's Diarrhea Symptoms »
Important Safety Information
- KAPIDEX may not be right for everyone. You should not take KAPIDEX if you are allergic to KAPIDEX or any of its ingredients. Severe allergic reactions have been reported.
- Symptom relief does not rule out other serious stomach conditions.
- The most common side effects of KAPIDEX were diarrhea (4.8%), stomach pain (4.0%), nausea (2.9%), common cold (1.9%), vomiting (1.6%), and gas (1.6%). KAPIDEX and certain other medicines can affect each other. Before taking KAPIDEX, tell your doctor if you are taking ampicillin, atazanavir, digoxin, iron, ketoconazole, or tacrolimus. If you are taking KAPIDEX with warfarin, you may need to be monitored because serious risks could occur.
Uses of KAPIDEX
- Persistent heartburn two or more days a week, despite treatment and diet changes, could be acid reflux disease (ARD). Prescription KAPIDEX capsules are used in adults to treat heartburn related to ARD, to heal acid-related damage to the lining of the esophagus (called erosive esophagitis or EE), and to stop EE from coming back. Individual results may vary. Most damage (erosions) heals in 4–8 weeks.
Talk to your doctor or healthcare professional. Please see full Prescribing Information for KAPIDEX.
You are encouraged to report negative side effects of prescription drugs to the FDA. Visit www.fda.gov/medwatch or call 1-800-FDA-1088.
KAPIDEX™ is a trademark of Takeda Pharmaceuticals North America, Inc., and is used under license by Takeda Pharmaceuticals America, Inc.
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Escherichia Coli Infections »
Escherichia coli is one of the most frequent causes of many common bacterial infections, including cholecystitis, bacteremia, cholangitis, urinary tract infection (UTI), and traveler's diarrhea, and other clinical infections such as neonatal meningitis and pneumonia.
