Severe, Culture-directed

  • > 6 diarrheal episodes/day
  • bloody diarrhea
  • persistent (> 1 week) diarrhea
  • +/- fever
Usual Pathogens

Campylobacter spp

- Symptoms occur 1-10 days after exposure and usually resolve within 2-5 days.

No therapy unless severe, prolonged or immunocompromised.
Therapy

Dose

Duration
Azithromycin 500mg PO daily 3 days

Alternative

Therapy

Dose

Duration
Ciprofloxacin 500mg PO bid 3 days

Shiga toxin-producing E. coli, including E. coli O157:H7

- Avoid antimotility agents.

Antibiotic therapy contraindicated

Salmonella typhi

Salmonella paratyphi

- Relapse rate 10% after antibiotic therapy.

Therapy

Dose

Duration
Ciprofloxacin 500mg PO bid 7 days
or    
Azithromycin 500mg PO daily 7 days

Hospitalized/Bacteremic - see Salmonella bacteremia


Salmonella spp, non typhoidal

No therapy unless high risk

High risk

Therapy

Dose

Duration
Ciprofloxacin 500mg PO bid 7-10 days

Alternative

Therapy

Dose

Duration
TMP/SMX 1 DS tab PO bid 7-10 days
or    
Azithromycin 500mg PO daily 7 days

Hospitalized/bacteremic - see Salmonella bacteremia


Shigella spp

- Advise symptomatic individuals to avoid sexual contact to reduce transmission.

- If bacteremic (rare), use ciprofloxacin, ceftriaxone, or TMP-SMX for 14 days.

Therapy Dose Duration
Base on local susceptibility:
   
Azithromycin 500mg PO daily 3 days

 Alternative 

Therapy Dose Duration
Base on local susceptibility:    
Ciprofloxacin 500mg PO bid 3 days
or    
Cefixime 200mg PO bid 5 days
or    
Ceftriaxone 1-2g IV daily 5 days
or    
TMP-SMX 1 DS PO bid 5 days

Vibrio cholerae

- Fluid/rehydration essential.

Therapy Dose Duration
Doxycycline 300mg PO once 1 dose
or    
Azithromycin 1g PO once 1 dose

Aeromonas spp

Plesiomonas spp

Vibrio spp, not V. cholerae

Yersinia spp

No therapy unless severe, prolonged or immunocompromised
Therapy Dose Duration
Ciprofloxacin 500mg PO bid 3 days

Alternative

Therapy Dose Duration
TMP/SMX 1 DS tab PO bid 3 days

Parasitic

See Treatment of Enteric Parasitic Infections.