DIARRHEAL DISEASE ABOARD A UNITED-STATES-NAVY SHIP AFTER A BRIEF PORTVISIT TO A HIGH-RISK AREA

In August 1988, a study was conducted to determine the etiology and ri sk factors associated with travelers' diarrhea among U.S. military per sonnel after a 5-day port visit to Alexandria, Egypt. Twenty-one perce nt of the 2,747 evaluated crew members of the USS John F. Kennedy repo rted an episode of acute diarrhea, which led to 155 sick-call visits a nd at least 110 lost man-days. The most common pathogen identified was enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli, and all isolated bacterial enteropa thogens were sensitive to quinolone drugs. Independent risk factors fo r the development of diarrhea included: (1) consuming any meal ashore and specifically eating meats, desserts, or a buffet meal; and (2) a r ecent history of travelers' diarrhea. These data indicate that even br ief port visits to developing countries pose a major threat to the hea lth of U.S. shipboard personnel.