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The fecal-oral route (or alternatively, the oral-fecal route or orofecal route) is a route of transmission
Transmission (medicine)

In medicine, transmission is the passing of a disease from an infected individual or group to a previously uninfected individual or group.The microorganisms that cause disease may be transmitted from one person to another by one or more of the following means:...
 of disease
Disease

A disease or medical condition is an abnormal condition of an organism that impairs bodily functions, associated with specific symptoms and Medical signs....
s, when they can be passed when fecal
Feces

Feces, faeces, or f?ces is a waste product from an animal's gastrointestinal tract expelled through the anus during defecation....
 particles from one host
Host (biology)

In biology, a host is an organism that harbors a virus or parasite, or a mutual or commensal symbiont, typically providing nourishment and shelter....
 are introduced into the mouth
Mouth

The mouth, buccal cavity, or oral cavity is the first portion of the alimentary canal that receives food and begins digestion by mechanically breaking up the solid food particles into smaller pieces and mixing them with saliva....
 of another potential host.

There are usually intermediate steps, sometimes many of them. Among the more common causes are:






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The fecal-oral route (or alternatively, the oral-fecal route or orofecal route) is a route of transmission
Transmission (medicine)

In medicine, transmission is the passing of a disease from an infected individual or group to a previously uninfected individual or group.The microorganisms that cause disease may be transmitted from one person to another by one or more of the following means:...
 of disease
Disease

A disease or medical condition is an abnormal condition of an organism that impairs bodily functions, associated with specific symptoms and Medical signs....
s, when they can be passed when fecal
Feces

Feces, faeces, or f?ces is a waste product from an animal's gastrointestinal tract expelled through the anus during defecation....
 particles from one host
Host (biology)

In biology, a host is an organism that harbors a virus or parasite, or a mutual or commensal symbiont, typically providing nourishment and shelter....
 are introduced into the mouth
Mouth

The mouth, buccal cavity, or oral cavity is the first portion of the alimentary canal that receives food and begins digestion by mechanically breaking up the solid food particles into smaller pieces and mixing them with saliva....
 of another potential host.

There are usually intermediate steps, sometimes many of them. Among the more common causes are:
  • water
    Water

    Water is a common chemical substance that is essential for the survival of all known forms of life. In typical usage, water refers only to its liquid form or States of matter, but the substance also has a solid state, ice, and a gaseous state, water vapor or steam....
     that has come in contact with feces and is then inadequately treated
    Water treatment

    Water treatment describes those processes used to make water more acceptable for a desired end-use. These can include use as drinking water, industrial processes, medical and many other uses....
     before drinking;
  • food
    Food

    Food is any substance, usually composed of carbohydrates, fats, proteins and water, that can be Eating or Drinking by an animal or human for nutrition or pleasure....
     that has been handled with feces present;
  • poor sewage treatment
    Sewage treatment

    Sewage treatment, or domestic wastewater treatment, is the process of removing contaminants from wastewater and household sewage, both runoff and domestic....
    ;
  • poor or absent cleaning after handling feces or anything that has been in contact with feces.
  • some sexual practices — such as anilingus, coprophilia
    Coprophilia

    Coprophilia , also called scat, is the paraphilia involving sexual arousal from feces. In the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of the American Psychiatric Association , it is classified under 302.9 Paraphilia Not Otherwise Specified and has no diagnostic criteria other than a general statement about paraphilias that says "the diagnosi...
    , and ass to mouth
    Ass to mouth

    Ass-to-mouth is a colloquial term for the removal of the penis from the passive partner's anus followed by the immediate insertion of the penis into the passive partner's or another partner's mouth....


Some of the diseases that can be passed via the fecal-oral route include:
  • Giardiasis
    Giardiasis

    IntroductionGiardiasis in humans is caused by the infection of the small bowel by a single-celled organism called Giardia lamblia. Giardiasis occurs worldwide with a prevalence of 20-30% in developing countries....
  • Hepatitis A
    Hepatitis A

    Hepatitis A, , is an Acute infectious disease of the liver caused by Hepatitis A virus, which is most commonly transmitted by the fecal-oral route via contaminated food or drinking water....
  • Hepatitis E
    Hepatitis E

    Hepatitis E is a viral hepatitis caused by infection with a virus called hepatitis E virus . Infection with this virus was first documented in 1955 during an outbreak in New Delhi, India....
  • Rotavirus
    Rotavirus

    Rotavirus is a genus of double-stranded RNA virus in the family Reoviridae. It is the leading single cause of Diarrhea among infants and young children....
  • Shigellosis
    Shigellosis

    Shigellosis, also known as bacillary dysentery in its most severe manifestation, is a foodborne illness caused by infection by bacterium of the genus Shigella....
     (bacillary dysentery)
  • Typhoid fever
    Typhoid fever

    Typhoid fever, also known as enteric fever, or commonly just typhoid, is an illness caused by the bacterium Salmonella typhi. Common worldwide, it is transmitted by the ingestion of food or water contaminated with feces from an infected person....
  • Vibrio parahaemolyticus
    Vibrio parahaemolyticus

    Vibrio parahaemolyticus is a curved, rod-shaped, Gram-negative bacterium found in brackish Seawater, which, when ingested, causes bacterial gastroenteritis in humans....
     infections
  • Enterovirus
    Enterovirus

    The enteroviruses are a genus of Virus classification associated with several human and mammalian diseases. Historically the most significant has been the Poliovirus....
    es, including poliomyelitis
    Poliomyelitis

    Poliomyelitis, often called polio or infantile paralysis, is an acute virus infectious disease spread from person to person, primarily via the fecal-oral route....
  • Cholera
    Cholera

    Cholera, sometimes known as Asiatic or epidemic cholera, is an infectious gastroenteritis caused by enterotoxin-producing strains of the bacterium Vibrio cholerae....