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Table 1 Overview of intestinal pathogens (bacteria, intestinal protozoa, helminths and viruses) that may cause persistent digestive disorders in infected individuals

From: Persistent digestive disorders in the tropics: causative infectious pathogens and reference diagnostic tests

Enteric pathogen

Persistent diarrhoea

Persistent abdominal pain

Blood in the stool

Bacteria

Aeromonas spp.

+

–

–

Campylobacter jejuni, C. coli

+

+

+

Clostridium difficile

+

+

+

Escherichia coli

   

 Enteroaggregative E. coli (EAEC)

+

+

+

 Enteropathogenic E. coli (EPEC)

+

+

–

 Enteroinvasive E. coli (EIEC)

+

+

+

 Enterohaemorrhagic E. coli  (STEC/EHEC)

+

+

+

 Enterotoxigenic E. coli (ETEC)

+

+

–

 Diffusely adherent E. coli (DAEC)

+

–

–

Mycobacterium tuberculosis and atypical mycobacteria

+

+

+

Plesiomonas shigelloides

+

–

–

Salmonella enterica (typhoidal and non-typhoidal serovars)

+

+

+

Shigella spp.

+

+

+

Tropheryma whipplei

+

–

–

Vibrio spp.

+

–

–

Yersinia enterocolitica, Y. pseudotuberculosis

+

–

–

Intestinal protozoa

   

Balantidium coli

+

+

+

Blastocystis hominis a

(+)

(+)

–

Cryptosporidium spp.

+

+

–

Cyclospora cayetanensis

+

–

–

Dientamoeba fragilis a

+

+

–

Entamoeba histolytica

+

+

+

Giardia intestinalis (syn.: G. lamblia and G. duodenalis)

+

+

–

Isospora belli (syn.: Cystoisospora belli)

+

(+)

–

Species of microsporidia

+

+

–

Helminths

   

Cestodes

   

 Diphyllobothrium latum

+

+

–

 Hymenolepis spp.

+

–

–

 Taenia spp.

+

+

–

Nematodes

   

 Ascaris lumbricoides

+

+

–

 Capillaria philippinensis

+

+

–

 Hookworm (Ancylostoma duodenale and Necator americanus)

+

+

–

 Strongyloides stercoralis

+

+

(+)

 Trichuris trichiura

+

+

–

Trematodes

   

 Intestinal flukes

+

+

–

 Intestinal blood flukes: Schistosoma mansoni, S. intercalatum, S. japonicum, S. mekongi

+

+

+

Viruses

   

Adenovirus

+

–

–

Astrovirus

(+)

–

–

Bocavirus

(+)

–

–

Coronavirus

(+)

–

–

Cytomegalovirus (CMV)

+

+

+

Enterovirus

+

–

–

Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV-1/2)

+

+

–

Norovirus

+

–

–

Parechovirus

(+)

–

–

Rotavirus

+

+

–

Sapovirus

(+)

–

–

  1. +, existing risk; (+), low risk; –, no risk.a There is an ongoing debate whether these intestinal protozoa have pathogenic potential or should rather be seen as simple commensals of the gastrointestinal tract [29, 30].