The role of antibiotics in the treatment of infectious diarrhea.

Infectious diarrhea is a significant cause of morbidity and mortality and a common complaint in clinical practice. Routine empirical use of antibiotics for infectious diarrhea should be avoided because of the self-limited nature of most cases, the cost of antibiotics, and the potential to worsen the already significant problem of antibiotic resistance of enteric pathogens. For patients with severe invasive or prolonged diarrhea or who are at high risk of complications, such as the elderly, diabetics, cirrhotics, and immunocompromised patients, empirical treatment with a quinolone antibiotic for 3 to 5 days can be considered. Antibiotic treatment can be highly effective for Shigella, ETEC, and V. cholerae infections, and metronidazole is indicated for C. difficile colitis. The impact of antibiotics for other specific pathogens is modest, and antibiotic therapy should be reserved for the same group of patients who would be considered for empirical treatment. The most significant problem in the antibiotic treatment of infectious diarrhea is the progressive increase in resistance among enteric pathogens; only the prudent use of antimicrobials in all areas of daily practice can limit or delay the impact of this serious problem.