Traveler's diarrhea in the pediatric population: etiology and impact.

Children who travel are at risk of developing the same, well-known illnesses that affect adult travelers. The etiology, treatment, and actual risk of these illnesses are not well defined in children. The limited amount of data available forces clinicians to extrapolate appropriate treatment for children. Recommendations for children have not been standardized. The role and judicious use of antimicrobials in the treatment of pediatric traveler's diarrhea have evolved during recent decades and will be reviewed here. The past 2 decades have seen an unprecedented, sustained growth in travel. The epidemiology related to travel medicine has evolved to describe travelers and their illnesses more specifically. The development of the field of travel medicine has led to greater understanding and improved, targeted treatment of travel-related illnesses. Most of the data available today describe traveler's diarrhea in adults. Children traveling to distant destinations from their home country have not been well studied, yet treatment parameters exist in practice and will be reviewed here.