Acute diarrhoeal diseases in infants aged below six months in hospital in Calcutta, India: an aetiological study.
In a prospective 2-year study, 218 infants aged less than 6 months admitted to a children's hospital in Calcutta with acute diarrhoea and 102 infants (control group) from the out-patient department of the same hospital with similar age, sex and socio-economic composition as the diarrhoea patients, were concurrently investigated for enteropathogenic agents in the faeces. Enteropathogenic Escherichia coli, enterotoxigenic E. coli, and enteroadherent E. coli constituted the 3 types of diarrhoeagenic E. coli most frequently (57.4%) detected in the faeces of diarrhoeic infants either as a sole pathogen or in association with other microorganisms. Other enteropathogens detected were rotavirus, Campylobacter jejuni, Salmonella typhimurium and Aeromonas hydrophila. The frequency of detection of various aetiological agents was 72%; in the remaining 28% an infectious aetiology could not be determined. The study suggests that diarrhoeagenic E. coli plays a major role in the causation of acute diarrhoea in infants aged under 6 months in Calcutta.
Ghosh
A R
AR
National Institute of Cholera and Enteric Diseases, Beliaghata, Calcutta, India.
Nair
G B
GB
Dutta
P
P
Pal
S C
SC
Sen
D
D
D003968:Diarrhea, Infantile / Q000382:microbiology*; D004927:Escherichia coli Infections / Q000150:complications*; D005243:Feces / Q000382:microbiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007194:India; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012400:Rotavirus Infections / Q000150:complications