Johns Hopkins scientists say they have figured out how bacteria that cause diarrhea may also be the culprit in some colon cancers. The investigators say that strains of the common Bacteroides fragilis (ETBF) dupe immune system cells into permitting runaway colon tissue inflammation, a precursor for malignant growth.

Campylobacters are small Gram-negative spiral rods. Campylobacter jejuni (C. jejuni), a foodborne organism contracted from untreated water, milk and meat, especially chicken, is one of the most important causes of bacterial diarrhea worldwide. However, its mode of pathogenesis is not clear.

Medarex, Inc. (Nasdaq: MEDX) and The Massachusetts Biologic Laboratories (MBL) of the University of Massachusetts Medical School (UMMS) announced that a Phase 2 trial of an anti-C. difficile antibody combination treatment in patients with C. difficile Associated Diarrhea (CDAD) successfully met its primary objective.

A fungus called microsporidia that causes chronic diarrhea in AIDS patients, organ transplant recipients and travelers has been identified as a member of the family of fungi that have been discovered to reproduce sexually.

The research team led by Levent Erdem from Şişli Etfal Teaching and Research Hospital of Turkey investigated the prevalence and demography of microscopic colitis in patients with diarrhea of unknown etiology and normal colonoscopy in Turkey. This will be published on 21 July 2008, in the World Journal of Gastroenterology addresses this question.

Eleven years ago, Dr. Mary Estes of Baylor College of Medicine and her colleagues discovered the first viral enterotoxin, rotavirus NSP4, a toxic protein that affects the intestines, causing diarrhea.

Researchers from the University of Texas have reported the development of a needle-free vaccine to protect travelers from diarrhea.

Many patients may soon find relief from the bloating, cramping, abdominal pain and constipation associated with irritable bowel syndrome, or IBS.

It's no secret that traveling can wreak havoc on your stomach, with traveler's diarrhea (TD) being the most common ailment, but even minor upset related to change of location, new foods, etc.

Every year, millions of people are infected with noroviruses - commonly called “stomach flu” – often resulting in up to 72 hours of vomiting and diarrhea. While most people recover in a few days, the symptoms can lead to dehydration and - in rare cases, especially among the elderly and infants - death.

Both in institutions and in communities, interventions that promote hand washing lead to significant reductions in the incidence of diarrhoea.

Food poisoning caused by the bacteria enterohemorrhagic Eschericia coli (EHEC) O157:H7A results in severe abdominal cramps and bloody diarrhea. In the very young and old it can also cause hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS) -- a disease characterized by anemia and kidney failure.