Language & Geography: A Traveller's Disease

Escherichia coli

Traveller's diarrhea, abbreviated to TD, is the most common illness affecting travellers. Traveller's diarrhea is commonly accompanied by abdominal cramps, nausea, and bloating. Bloating means a swelling of the intestinal tract that is caused by excessive gas formation (in Spanish, inflamación intestinal).
TD is commonly caused by Escherichia coli. The primary source of infection is ingestion of contaminated food or water.

Colloquial names for TD

There are a number of colloquialisms for travellers' diarrhea contracted in various localities, such as "Montezuma's revenge", "turistas", or "Aztec two step" for travellers' diarrhea contracted in Mexico, "Pharaoh's Revenge," "mummy's tummy," or "Cairo two-step" in Egypt, "Kurtz Hurtz" in Uzbekistan, "Bombay belly" or "Delhi belly" in India, "kabulitis" in Afghanistan, "holiday tummy" in United Kingdom, although this is not directed at tourists in the UK but at British tourists abroad, "Bali belly" in Bali, or "Katmandu quickstep" in Nepal. In Canada it is termed "beaver fever". A recent local term in Pattaya, Thailand, is "Thai-dal wave". Peacekeepers to Arabic-speaking countries have called it "yalla yalla" (Arabic for "fast, fast") referring to the extreme urgency it causes.


Moctezuma II

Montezuma's revenge is the colloquial term for any cases of traveller's diarrhea contracted by tourists visiting Mexico. The name refers to Moctezuma II (1466-1520), the Tlatoani (ruler) of the Aztec civilization who was defeated by Hernán Cortés, the Spanish conquistador.
It is estimated that 40% of foreign traveller vacations in Mexico are disrupted by infection. Most cases are mild and resolve in a few days with no treatment. Severe or extended cases, however, may result in extensive fluid loss and/or dangerous electrolytic imbalance which pose a severe medical risk and may prove fatal if mismanaged. The oversight of a medical professional is advised. Not all water supplies in Mexico are contaminated and many hotels have water purification systems that eliminate risk.