ABSTRACT
Infections of the gastrointestinal tract and liver are the most common disorders of the alimentary tract in both the industrialized and in the resource-poor countries of the world. In the developing world, microbial enteropathogens are highly prevalent, with the major reservoirs being water, food, animals and humans. Infectious diarrhoea is responsible for the death of up to four million pre-school children each year. In some African countries, children may suffer up to seven attacks of acute diarrhoea annually, each of which contributes to the infection-malnutrition cycle, which, in many, ultimately results in impaired growth and development.
