Diarrhea may be contagious or not, depending on the cause.
Infectious diarrhea, due to bacterial or parasitic food poisoning, or due to rotavirus infection may be transmitted by stool-to-mouth (fecal-oral) route (with hands, water, food, toys and other objects contaminated with the stool). Additionally, viral diarrhea can be contracted by droplet infection that is by inhaling droplets of nasal secretions or saliva of an infected and sneezing or coughing patient (usually small child).
Diarrhea is not likely to be transmitted by inhaling the odor of diarrheal stool. Diarrhea due to bacterium Clostridium dificcile or yeast Candida albicans overgrowth is not likely contracted by a healthy person, but it can be contracted by someone with lowered immunity (a person with AIDS, or a patient after antibiotic treatment, during or after chemotherapy and so on).
Diarrhea in most of other disorders (IBS, food allergies, liver, gallbladder, pancreas disease, celiac disease, lactose intolerance, Crohn’s disease) is not likely contagious, unless affected person develops a subsequent infection.
It is often not known why a certain person has a diarrhea, so it should be assumed that diarrhea is always contagious, even if it is not.
Prevention of Diarrhea
1. Hygiene
- Washing hands after every contact with the stool (toilet, soil, animals)
- Cleaning surfaces, contaminated with stool, soil, chemicals
- Keeping small children out from daily care centers, if they have diarrhea, or if many other children have it
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