Disease-a-month : DM
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Infectious diarrhea is an extremely common illness that affects millions of Americans annually. For most patients, the illness is a self-limited one. Its major risk is dehydration. ⋯ Several organisms have been associated with specific postinfectious syndromes that are responsible for additional morbidity and mortality. The antibiotic resistance of bacterial pathogens has been increasing, and this has a limiting effect on the empiric treatment choices available for suspected bacterial diarrhea. Careful attention to local sensitivity patterns and appropriate testing of the patient's isolate are among the important factors that lead to successful treatment decisions.