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Evidence summaries

Antibiotic Treatment for Traveller's Diarrhoea

Antibiotic treatment for traveller's diarrhoea is associated with shorter duration of diarrhoea but higher incidence of side effects. Level of evidence: "A"

A Cochrane review [Abstract] 1 included 20 studies (of which 12 were placebo-controlled). All of the 10 trials reporting the duration of diarrhoea showed a significant reduction with antibiotics compared to placebo. Data from 6 trials demonstrated a greater number of participants being cured of diarrhoea by 72 hours (OR 5.9, 95% CI 4.06 to 8.57). Persons taking antibiotics experience more side effects than those taking placebo (OR 2.37, 95% CI 1.5 to 3.75).

    References

    • De Bruyn G, Hahn S, Borwick A. Antibiotic treatment for travellers' diarrhoea. Cochrane Database Syst Rev 2000;(3):CD002242. [PubMed]

Primary/Secondary Keywords