Bacterial infections: small intestine and colon

Bacterial enteric infections exact a heavy toll on human populations, parti cularly among children. Despite the explosion of knowledge on the pathogene sis of enteric diseases experienced during the past decade, the number of d iarrheal episodes and human deaths reported worldwide remains of apocalypti c dimensions. However, our better understanding of the pathogenic mechanism s involved in the onset of diarrhea is finally leading to preventive interv entions, such as the development of enteric vaccines, that may have a signi ficant impact on the magnitude of this human plague. (C) 2001 Lippincott Wi lliams & Wilkins, Inc.