A Novel Approach in the Treatment of Acute Infective Diarrhea

Diarrheal disease is the second leading cause of infectious disease morbidity and mortality worldwide, resulting in an estimated 2.2 million deaths in 2004.1 Although diarrheal disease affects persons of all age groups and in all geographic locations, the greatest burden of severe illness and death falls on infants and young children in developing countries. During 2000-2003, diarrhea ranked second behind pneumonia among the leading causes of death in children younger than 5 years of age, responsible for 18% of all deaths in this age group.2 Diarrheal disease also produces substantial morbidity, with 4 billion acute episodes estimated to occur annually.3 A survey among the general US population reported a rate of 1.4 episodes of diarrhea per year, translating to 200 to 375 million episodes annually.4