The bacteria enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (ETEC) are typically the most common except in Southeast Asia, where Campylobacter is more prominent.

[2] Recommendations for prevention include eating only properly cleaned and cooked food, drinking bottled water, and frequent hand washing.

[2][3] It has colloquially been known by a number of names, including "Montezuma's revenge," “mummy tummy”[9] and "Delhi belly".

Medical care should be sought in such cases; dehydration is a serious consequence of cholera, and may trigger serious sequelae—including, in rare instances, death—as rapidly as 24 hours after onset if not addressed promptly.

[12] The most common causative agent isolated in countries surveyed has been enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (ETEC).

[citation needed] Brachyspira pilosicoli pathogen also appears to be responsible for many chronic intermittent watery diarrhea and is only diagnosed through colonic biopsies and microscopic discovery of a false brush border [14] on H&E or Warthin silver stain: its brush-border is stronger and longer that Brachyspira aalborgi's brush-border.

High-risk destinations include developing countries in Latin America, Africa, the Middle East, and Asia.

[12] Among backpackers, additional risk factors include drinking untreated surface water and failure to maintain personal hygiene practices and clean cookware.

[12] Travelers often get diarrhea from eating and drinking foods and beverages that have no adverse effects on local residents.

A study among expatriates in Nepal suggests that immunity may take up to seven years to develop—presumably in adults who avoid deliberate pathogen exposure.

[19] Conversely, immunity acquired by American students while living in Mexico disappeared, in one study, as quickly as eight weeks after cessation of exposure.

Unpasteurized milk, dairy products, mayonnaise, and pastry icing are associated with increased risk for TD, as are foods and beverages purchased from street vendors and other establishments where unhygienic conditions may be present.

Chemical treatment with halogens—chlorine bleach, tincture of iodine, or commercial tablets—have low-to-moderate effectiveness against protozoa such as Giardia, but work well against bacteria and viruses.

Other claimed advantages include short treatment time, elimination of the need for boiling, no taste alteration, and decreased long-term cost compared with bottled water.

Bismuth subsalicylate should not be taken by those with aspirin allergy, kidney disease, or gout, nor concurrently with certain antibiotics such as the quinolones, and should not be taken continuously for more than three weeks.

[medical citation needed] Some countries do not recommend it due to the risk of rare but serious side effects.

Antibiotics can also cause vaginal yeast infections, or overgrowth of the bacterium Clostridioides difficile, leading to pseudomembranous colitis and its associated severe, unrelenting diarrhea.

[28] Antibiotics may be warranted in special situations where benefits outweigh the above risks, such as immunocompromised travelers, chronic intestinal disorders, prior history of repeated disabling bouts of TD, or scenarios in which the onset of diarrhea might prove particularly troublesome.

Options for prophylactic treatment include the fluoroquinolone antibiotics (such as ciprofloxacin), azithromycin, and trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole, though the latter has proved less effective in recent years.

[13] Antimotility drugs such as loperamide and diphenoxylate reduce the symptoms of diarrhea by slowing transit time in the gut.

They may be taken to slow the frequency of stools, but not enough to stop bowel movements completely, which delays expulsion of the causative organisms from the intestines.

[40] Adverse reactions may include nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, hives or rash, and loss of appetite.

Since wilderness campsites seldom provide access to sanitation facilities, the infection risk is similar to that of any developing country.

[18] Water treatment, good hygiene, and dish washing have all been shown to reduce the incidence of WAD.

[46][47] This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.