title: Role of heat-labile toxigenic Escherichia coli and Reovirus-like agent in diarrhoea in Boston children.
abstract: 61 Boston children aged five years or less with acute diarrhoea were studied for evidence of infection with Escherichia coli strains that produce heat-labile enterotoxin (L.T.) or with a reovirus-like agent associated with childhood gastroenteritis. This represented the first evaluation of the prevalence of disease produced by these two agents in the same population. E. coli, isolated from acute-phase stool specimens, were tested in adrenal-cell tissue-culture and adult-rabbit ileal-loop assays for L.T. Acute and convalescent phase sera, collected from 31 children, were tested by the adrenal-cell assay for anti-L.T. activity. None of the 61 children demonstrated evidence of infection with L.T.-positive E. coli. Paired sera from 31 of the children studied were also tested for evidence of recent infection with the reovirus-like agent by determining titres of immunofluorescent-staining antibody to the serologically related Nebraska calf diarrhoea virus. 11 of the children (35%) had evidence of recent infection. These results suggest that an important proportion of endemic acute diarrhoea of young children in Boston is caused by the reovirus-like agent, and that disease caused by L.T.-producing E. coli is uncommon.
mesh_terms: D000907:Antibodies, Bacterial / Q000302:isolation & purification; D000914:Antibodies, Viral / Q000302:isolation & purification; D002675:Child, Preschool; D046508:Culture Techniques; D003968:Diarrhea, Infantile / Q000209:etiology* / Q000382:microbiology; D004768:Enterotoxins / Q000302:isolation & purification; D004926:Escherichia coli / Q000276:immunology / Q000302:isolation & purification; D004927:Escherichia coli Infections; D005243:Feces / Q000382:microbiology; D005260:Female; D005455:Fluorescent Antibody Technique; D006358:Hot Temperature; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D012087:Reoviridae / Q000276:immunology / Q000302:isolation & purification; D012088:Reoviridae Infections / Q000382:microbiology*
chemical_list: D000907:Antibodies, Bacterial; D000914:Antibodies, Viral; D004768:Enterotoxins