Cited 7 times since 2017 (0.9 per year) source: EuropePMC Travel medicine and infectious disease, Volume 19, 24 4 2017, Pages 33-36 Travel-related acquisition of diarrhoeagenic bacteria, enteral viruses and parasites in a prospective cohort of 98 Dutch travellers. van Hattem JM, Arcilla MS, Grobusch MP, Bart A, Bootsma MC, van Genderen PJ, van Gool T, Goorhuis A, van Hellemond JJ, Molenkamp R, Molhoek N, Oude Lashof AM, Stobberingh EE, de Wever B, Verbrugh HA, Melles DC, Penders J, Schultsz C, de Jong MD
Background
Limited prospective data are available on the acquisition of viral, bacterial and parasitic diarrhoeagenic agents by healthy individuals during travel.
Methods
To determine the frequency of travel associated acquisition of 19 pathogens in 98 intercontinental travellers, qPCR was used to detect 8 viral pathogens, 6 bacterial enteric pathogens and 5 parasite species in faecal samples collected immediately before and after travel.
Results
We found high pre-travel carriage rates of Blastocystis spp. and Dientamoeba fragilis of 32% and 19% respectively. Pre-travel prevalences of all other tested pathogens were below 3%. Blastocystis spp. (10%), Plesiomonas shigelloides (7%), D. fragilis (6%) and Shigella spp. (5%) were the most frequently acquired pathogens and acquisition of enteral viruses and hepatitis E virus in this relatively small group of travellers was rare or non-existent.
Conclusions
Our findings suggest that the role of viruses as the cause of persisting traveller's diarrhoea is limited and bacterial pathogens are more likely as a cause of traveller's diarrhoea. The substantial proportion of travellers carrying Blastocystis spp. and D. fragilis before travel warrants cautious interpretation of positive samples in returning travellers with gastrointestinal complaints.
