Likely cause(s) of acute diarrhea:

Primary risk(s) for infants and small children with severe diarrhea:

For patients exhibiting significant diarrhea a central aspect of treatment involves oral rehydration.

For adult patients exhibiting significant/persistent presentations, drug treatment of diarrhea may be appropriate.

Nonspecific antidiarrheal drugs that act by reducing intestinal motility may be inappropriate in those cases in which acute diarrhea is due to invasive organisms.

Antibiotics represent effective treatment if the patient is known or likely infected with enterohemorrhagic E. coli.

If the patient presents with Clostridium difficile infections following prior antibiotic treatment, that antibiotic should be discontinued, although another antibiotic may be appropriate follow-on treatment.

Treatment of "travelers diarrhea" include this/these first-line agent(s):

Drug/drugs appropriate for treating "travelers diarrhea."

In children with travelers diarrhea, azithromycin represents preferred treatment.