Researchers in the United Kingdom hope to develop a device to help healthcare providers rapidly diagnose the cause of diarrhea outbreaks by analyzing stool samples of patients. Diarrhea -- or loose or watery stools -- can be caused by a number of things, including bacterial or viral infections, parasites, gastrointestinal diseases or medications (i.e., antibiotics).

Millions of Americans report problems with diarrhea every year. According to the National Institutes of Health, the average adult experiences diarrhea approximately four times a year. However, it may be difficult to identify exactly how many people have diarrhea, since most people do not seek medical treatment. For people with chronic diarrhea, rapid diagnosis of the source can help physicians determine the correct treatment plan and avoid needless prescriptions of antibiotics.

In the study published in the February 21 online issue of The FASEB Journal, researchers took stool samples from healthy human donors and compared them to those taken from patients with certain gastrointestinal illnesses. They included ulcerative colitis, campylobacteriosis (caused by the bacteria Campylobacter jejuni) and Clostridium difficile disease (caused by the bacteria Clostridium difficile). Testing revealed that the feces had distinct chemical profiles that could be markers for infectious diarrhea.

"The discovery of chemical profiles is a major step forward in the diagnosis and treatment of people with gastrointestinal disease," Dr. Chris Probert of Bristol University, said in a press release. "Early treatment of clostridium difficile means patients have a much better chance of survival and fewer complications. However, at present the average length of time taken to diagnose the condition is eight days."

Study co-author Norman Ratcliffe of the University of the West of England said: "There are numerous different kinds of infection that cause diarrhea and a speedy diagnosis would lead to more appropriate use of antibiotics. Early isolation of infectious patients would reduce hospital outbreaks leading to fewer ward/hospital closures."

Copyright 2007 iVillage Total Health.