Every year, millions of travelers visit countries with poor hygiene, and approximately one third of them return home carrying antibiotic-resistant ESBL intestinal bacteria. Most of them remain unaware of this, as the bacteria cause no symptoms. High-risk areas for contracting ESBL bacteria are South and South-East Asia, Africa and Latin America.
Diarrhea is the most common health complaint for people who travel to poor regions of the world. Those contracting diarrhea have an increased risk of ESBL acquisition, and if they choose to they treat it with antibiotics, the risk becomes multiplied. A Finnish study led by Professor Anu Kantele and published two years ago showed that among people travelling to high-risk areas, those contracting diarrhea and taking antibiotics, up to 80% brought ESBL super bacteria home with them.
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