Fecal-Oral Diseases

Fecal-oral diseases are acquired by ingesting water or food contaminated by the feces of an infected individual. Commonly, drinking water is tainted by primitive (or non-existent) sewage systems and food by using human waste for fertilizer. An infected individual can unknowingly spread fecal-oral diseases by handling food or eating/cooking utensils without appropriate handwashing following a bowel movement. Modern municipal sewer systems and sanitary water supplies have dramatically decreased the incidence of fecal-oral diseases in the United States, but they are still very common in underdeveloped countries, and Americans remain vulnerable when traveling abroad. The fecal-oral diseases discussed in this chapter, along with their historical names and monikers, are: Cholera (Blue Death); Poliomyelitis (Polio, Infantile Paralysis); Typhoid Fever (Bilious Fever, Burning Fever, Enteric Fever); and Dysentery (Bloody Flux, Montezuma’s Revenge, “Trots”).