An episode of diarrhoea can be acute (recent origin) or chronic (extended duration and repeated episodes) in nature. You may recall reading in the Food Microbiology ans Safety Course about microbial infections and toxins, which are a major cause of diarrhoea among individuals. However, there are several other causes of diarrhoea such as metal poisoning, deficiency of enzymes, side effects of drugs, structural functional abnormalities in the organs etc.