Special Edition of Gut Microbes

Gastrointestinal infections causing diarrhea represent a huge public health problem in all parts of the world. Every year there are about three billion cases of diarrheal disease worldwide, resulting from contaminated food and water sources. In developing countries, diarrheal disease is the second-leading cause of death in children (second only to pneumonia), particularly in children younger than 5 years of age. A major contributor to this global problem is the fact that approximately one billion people lack access to appropriate water sources, and around 2.5 billion have no access to basic sanitation. In developed countries, while diarrheal diseases are better controlled it still represents a common affliction, especially among children and the elderly. Among the more common bacteria that infect the gastrointestinal tract and cause disease are Salmonella Typhimurium, Salmonella Typhi, Camplylobacter jejuni, Shigella flexneri, enteropathogenic E. coli and Clostridium difficile. Understanding the various ways in which these bacterial pathogens induce diarrhea is imperative if it is to be controlled. Elegant studies by many investigators over the past decade (and beyond) have provided Special Edition of Gut Microbes