Table 1.2
(continued)
Disease
Major causative
organism
Incubation
period
Source/transmission
Symptoms
Geographical
distribution
Viral diarrhea
Enterovirus
2–3 days
Person to person via direct
contact with virus shed
from the gastrointestinal or
upper respiratory tract
Diarrhea, running nose,
body pain, vomiting, fever,
mouth blisters
All over the world
Hepatitis
Hepatitis A & E virus
2–50 days
Feces contaminated water,
soil, food, and person to
person contact
Abdominal pain, nausea,
vomiting clay-colored stool
discharge, appetite loss,
mild fever, dark urine, joint
pain, jaundice, and severe
itching
All over the world
Gastroenteritis
Rotavirus
2 days
Feces contaminated water,
soil, food, and person to
person contact
Diarrhea, black stool with
pus and blood, high fever,
body pain, vomiting,
dehydration
All over the world,
especially affects
children
Dracunculiasis (Guinea
worm disease)
Dracunculusmedinensis
(nematode)
10–
14 months
Consumption of larvae
contaminated pond and
stagnant water
Light fever, inflammation,
nausea, vomiting, diarrhea,
secondary bacterial infections, allergy, body rashes,
dizziness, joint infection,
and disorders
All over the world,
especially regions with
poor sanitation facility
Giardiasis
Giardia intestinalis,
G. lamblia or
G. duodenalis
1–14 days
Feces contaminated water,
unhygienic sanitary
facilities
Abdominal cramps,
bloating, nausea and watery
diarrhea
All over the world,
especially regions with
poor sanitation facility
Amoebic dysentery or
amoebiasis
Entamoeba histolytica
2–4 weeks Feces contaminated water,
soil, food and person to
person contact, sexual contact with an infected person
Fever, chills, diarrhea,
abdominal cramps and
diarrhea with blood and
mucus
All across the world
10
S. Rath