gastrointestinal disorders
Tropical Sprue
Etiology of Tropical Sprue
Tropical sprue occurs chiefly in the Caribbean, southern India, and Southeast Asia, affecting both natives and visitors. The illness is rare in visitors spending<1 month in areas where the disease is endemic. Although etiology is unclear, tropical sprue is thought to result from chronic infection of the small bowel by toxigenic strains of coliform bacteria. Malabsorption of folate and vitamin B12 deficiency results in Megaloblastic Macrocytic Anemias . Tropical sprue has rarely been reported in the United States, and the incidence worldwide has been decreasing in recent decades, perhaps because of increasing use of antibiotics for acute Traveler’s Diarrhea . 