Antibiotics used in diarrhoea

Simple gastroenteritis:

• diarrhoea in the UK is often caused by viral infections
• antibiotics are unnecessary in simple gastroenteritis even when a bacterial cause is suspected because the complaint will usually resolve quickly without them Systemic bacterial infection:
• Campylobacter enteritis: Erythromycin or Ciprofloxacin
• Salmonellosis & shigellosis:Trimethoprim or Ciprofloxacin Antibiotics may prolong rather than shorten the time taken to control diarrhoea by causing masked bacterial diarrhoea, carrier states, or pseudomembranous colitis Travellers' diarrhoea: prophylactic antibiotics are not recommended. Lactobacillus preparations are valueless. Antibiotic associated/pseudomembranous colitis(C.difficile):
• vancomycin or metronidazole

ref: Current BNF