The goal of this clinical trial is to compare amino acid-fortified oral rehydration therapy (ORT) to the standard of care ORT in pediatric patients with acute gastroenteritis (AGE). The main questions it aims to answer are:

• can amino acid-fortified ORT reduce the duration and severity of AGE compared to standard of care ORT?
• can amino acid-fortified ORT increase the secretion of antimicrobial peptides in the gastrointestinal tract compared to standard of care ORT?

Participants will be assigned to the experimental treatment (amino acid-fortified ORT) or the standard of care ORT and their disease severity, duration, and stool antimicrobial peptide content.

Inclusion Criteria:

• Between the ages of 6 months and 5 years.
• Experiencing mild to moderate acute gastroenteritis for less than two (2) days before admission to Pediatric Emergency Department.
• Diarrhea presumed infectious

Exclusion Criteria:

• Severe gastroenteritis with moderate to severe dehydration
• Requiring inpatient care
• Requiring antibiotics
• Requiring IV rehydration
• History of chronic diarrhea
• Presenting with diarrhea for greater than 2 days prior to admission
• Allergy to any of the ingredients in the study products
• Inborn metabolic disorder of amino acids
• Receives post-pyloric feedings

We will share all de-identified data upon request by other researchers upon submission of manuscripts to journals.

These will be made available to researchers and editors upon submission of manuscripts to journals for a period of up to 7 years post publication.

Qualified independent researchers with an academic interest in pediatric GI disease. These data will be provided following review and approval of a research proposal, statistical analysis plan, and execution of a data sharing plan.