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Fecal-oral route

Many diseases can be passed when fecal particles from one host are introduced into the mouth of another potential host. This is referred to as the fecal-oral route (or alternatively, the oral-fecal route or orofecal route).

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There are, usually, intermediate steps, sometimes many of them. Amongst the more common causes are: Water that has come in contact with feces and poorly treated before drinking; food that has been handled with feces present; poor sewage treatment; poor or absent cleaning after handling feces or anything that has been in contact with feces.

Some sexual practice — such as anal-oral sex, coprophilia — can also spread disease by the fecal-oral route.^[1]

Some diseases that can be passed via the fecal-oral route:

Giardiasis^[2]
Hepatitis A^[3]
Hepatitis E^[4]
Shigellosis (bacillary dysentery)^[5]
Typhoid fever^[6]
Vibrio parahaemolyticus infections^[7]
Polio
Cholera

References

^ Fenway Community Health-Hepatitis A, B, C
^ Meyer EA (1996). Other Intestinal Protozoa and Trichomonas Vaginalis in: Baron's Medical Microbiology (Baron S et al, eds.), 4th ed., Univ of Texas Medical Branch. (via NCBI Bookshelf) ISBN 0-9631172-1-1.
^ Zuckerman AJ (1996). Hepatitis Viruses in: Baron's Medical Microbiology (Baron S et al, eds.), 4th ed., Univ of Texas Medical Branch. (via NCBI Bookshelf) ISBN 0-9631172-1-1.
^ Wang L, Zhuang H (2004). "Hepatitis E: an overview and recent advances in vaccine research.". World J Gastroenterol 10 (15): 2157-62. PMID 15259057.
^ Hale TL, Keusch GT (1996). Shigella in: Baron's Medical Microbiology (Baron S et al, eds.), 4th ed., Univ of Texas Medical Branch. (via NCBI Bookshelf) ISBN 0-9631172-1-1.
^ Giannella RA (1996). Salmonella:Epidemiology in: Baron's Medical Microbiology (Baron S et al, eds.), 4th ed., Univ of Texas Medical Branch. (via NCBI Bookshelf) ISBN 0-9631172-1-1.
^ Finkelstein RA (1996). Cholera, Vibrio cholerae O1 and O139, and Other Pathogenic Vibrios in: Baron's Medical Microbiology (Baron S et al, eds.), 4th ed., Univ of Texas Medical Branch. (via NCBI Bookshelf) ISBN 0-9631172-1-1.