Table 2.

Characteristics of Included Trials

Location and date of publication	Participants	Setting	Interventions	Outcomes	Source of Support
Guatemala 1992 [18]	Number: 102 Girls and boys, 3–35 mths Diarrhoea 14–18 days, weight for length not < -2 Z, no dysentery	Surveillance project: rural indigenous community Field nurse visited homes three times daily to deliver intervention	Group 1: 10 mg oral gentamicin sulphate per kg body weight per day: 3× daily for 5 days. Group 2: Placebo: 1% magnesium sulphate 3× daily for 5 days.	Diarrhoea stopped at 7 days, and at least 48 hrs after end of treatment	None stated
India 1992 [15]	Number: 68 Boys, 3 mths to 4 yrs Diarrhoea ≥ 14 days, weight for length ≤ 90% of standard, no dysentery	Hospital oral rehydration unit in New Delhi Field worker visited homes twice daily to deliver intervention and leave evening dose	Group 1: 50 mg oral gentamicin per kg body weight per day: 4 times daily for 6 days Group 2: Placebo	≤ 2 liquid stools per day at 6 days. Intake of IV fluids, ORS, water and energy. Output of diarrhoea, vomit and urine. Weight change at 168 hrs	Diarrhoeal Diseases Control Programme, World Health Organization
India 1996 [16]	Number: 156 Girls and boys, 4 mths to 3 yrs Diarrhoea ≥ 14 days <4 weeks, no dysentery, Giardia lamblia or Entamoeba histolytica, no illness requiring antibiotics	Surveillance project with referrals to clinic and direct clinic attendances: urban slum in Delhi (outpatients)	Group 1: 30 mg oral metronidazole plus 50 mg oral nalidixic acid per kg body weight: 3× daily for 7 days Group 2: 30 mg oral metronidazole per kg body weight: 3× daily for 7 days Group 3: Placebo	First of 3 days with < 3 liquid stools in a 24 hrs; days 3, 5 and 7. No. stools in previous 24 hrs; days 2, 5 and 7. Weight change at days 7 and 14	CDR, World Health Organization
Bangladesh 1995 [17]	Number: 55 Girls and boys, 6 to 15 mths Diarrhoea ≥ 14 days <6 weeks No systemic infection, antibacterial use previous 7 days, severe malnutrition, Vibrio cholerae, Salmonella, Shigella, Giardia lamblia or Entamoeba histolytica	Clinical research unit of specialist diarrhoea hospital (inpatients)	Group 1: 10 mg oral trimethoprim plus 50 mg sulphamethoxazole per kg body weight; 2× daily for 7 days Group 2: Placebo,	Diarrhoea stopped at 7 days. Stool output (g/kg) days 1,2,3,4,5,6 and 7, plus all days 1–7 combined. Duration of diarrhoea. Hospital infection. Energy intake (kcal/kg/day)	United States Agency for International Development and the International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh