title: Use of colony pools for diagnosis of enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli diarrhea.
abstract: Diagnosis of enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli diarrhea was made in 109 adult males with an acute dehydrating cholera-like syndrome in Dacca, Bangladesh, by testing 10 colonies isolated from admission stool specimens for production of heat-labile and heat-stable toxins. Toxin testing of one colony yielded a diagnosis in 92% of the cases, testing of two colonies yielded a diagnosis in 95% of the cases, testing of a pool of 5 colonies yielded a diagnosis in 95% of the cases, and testing of a pool of 10 colonies yielded a diagnosis in 96% of the cases. From stool cultures obtained on subsequent days, toxin testing of individual colonies and pools revealed diminished efficacy of pooling with decreasing numbers of enterotoxin-positive isolates in the pool. To detect the presence of enterotoxigenic E. coli in stools, toxin testing of 5 individual isolates and a pool of 10 colonies was found to be almost as effective as the testing of 10 individual isolates.
mesh_terms: D001431:Bacteriological Techniques; D001459:Bangladesh; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D003967:Diarrhea / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000188:drug therapy; D004768:Enterotoxins / Q000096:biosynthesis; D004926:Escherichia coli / Q000378:metabolism; D004927:Escherichia coli Infections / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000188:drug therapy; D005243:Feces / Q000382:microbiology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D013752:Tetracycline / Q000627:therapeutic use
chemical_list: D004768:Enterotoxins; D013752:Tetracycline