[Travellers' diarrhoea. I. Field study on frequency and causes in German tourists (author's transl)].

Abstract

Even after successful localization of dangerous epidemics, infectious diseases represent a troublesome accompaniment of growing tourism to warm countries. Classical pathogens of diarrhoea are subjected to a worldwide control network to prevent this disease at least from being spread. Close surveillance has shown that, additionally, less clearly defined pathogens exist which affect a high percentage of tourists and cause a usually harmless but nevertheless often very annoying diarrhoea. In a tropic insular state a field study was carried out with voluntary assistance of German flight passengers in order to investigate the qualitative and quanitative importance of travellers' diarrhoea and to supplement American observations mainly gained in Mexico. In a first study we found that pathogens were detected only in six out of 173 stool samples: the pathogens were Salmonellae which had caused clinical symptoms in two cases only. With respect to diarrhoea with different origin which affected some 20 per cent of our examinees we will inquire into the importance of E. coli as pathogen, which is generally classified harmless but liable to interfere considerably with holidays and recreation.