The role of antibiotics in the treatment of infectious diarrhea

Antibiotics have been shown to be efficacious in the treatment of infectious diarrhea caused by a variety of bacterial pathogens. The continued emergence of significant antimicrobial resistance among all of the microorganisms responsible for infectious diarrhea, however, makes the judicious use of antibiotics a critical part of daily practice. Antibiotics should be reserved for patients with severe or prolonged diarrhea and those at high risk for complications, such as the elderly, diabetics, cirrhotics, and the immunocompromised.