RECENT ADVANCES IN THE STUDY OF DIARRHEOGENIC BACTERIA

In the past decade, newly discovered pathogens and newly described syndromes affecting the human gastrointestinal tract have led to significant advances in our understanding of the diarrheal diseases. New information about classic pathogens such as Vibrio cholerae, Salmonella, Shigella, Campylobacter, and rotavirus has also changed many of our concepts about these organisms. In this paper, we have selected a few issues of clinical relevance, including the epidemiology of cholera in the United States, the newly described enteric Escherichia coli, and the preliminary evidence that certain types of Bacteroides fragilis may be enterotoxigenic pathogens.