Guidelines Development GroupThis project was strictly based on a thorough analysis of the evidence available, its evaluation, and the grading of statements and recommendations with specific instruments. The guidelines were developed by an ESPGHAN/ ESPID Working Group that comprised 7 experts from France, The Netherlands, Israel, Italy, and Poland, coordinated by Alfredo Guarino. The experts are pediatricians with a special interest in gastroenterology and in infectious diseases. The work was undertaken as a collaborative research project: each working group member was in charge of systematically searching the literature, producing tables of evidence, and drafting the text. Specifically, the Naples group (A. Guarino, F. Albano, A. Lo Vecchio) was in charge of the definition, epidemiology, risk factors, and indications for a medical visit and hospital admission; Hans Hoekstra handled the clinical evaluation and disease severity section; Raanan Shamir and Corina Hartman focused on diagnostic workup and nutritional management; the Warsaw group (A. Chmielewska, B. Patro, M. Ruszczyn ´ski) under the leadership of Hania Szajewska dealt with the methodological section, rehydration, and pharmacological therapy. Finally, the ESPID representatives (S. Ashkenazi and his collaborators L. Hoffnung and N. Tirosh, and D. Gendrel) were in charge of the anti-infective therapy and the prevention sections. The recommendations were formulated collectively, and the final draft was collated and harmonized in Naples, and was agreed upon by the entire working group. The final draft underwent external review and was approved by the ESPGHAN and ESPID councils.
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