Faecal colonization with P-fimbriated Escherichia coli between 0 and 18 months of age.
A prospective study of faecal colonization with P-fimbriated Escherichia coli between 0 and 18 months of age was conducted in 751 healthy infants. The influence of breast-feeding and treatment with antibiotics on this colonization was studied. Colonization with P-fimbriated E. coli increased with age from 10% at 6 days to 30% at 18 months of age (P less than 0.01). Breast-feeding influenced colonization at 6 weeks of age when breast-fed children harboured fewer bacterial species (P less than 0.001) and fewer P-fimbriated E. coli (P = 0.06) than bottle-fed infants. Treatment with antibiotics increased the colonization rate with P-fimbriated E. coli at the age of 11 months (P less than 0.05). However, this was not true for treatment with ampicillin, which increased colonization rate with Gram-negative species other than E. coli (P less than 0.05). Fifty per cent (378) of all children were colonized and a quarter (183) had pure cultures of P-fimbriated E. coli in at least one faecal sample. The clinical importance of this colonization remains to be shown.
D000375:Aging; D000667:Ampicillin / Q000627:therapeutic use; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D001903:Bottle Feeding; D001942:Breast Feeding; D003967:Diarrhea / Q000382:microbiology; D004926:Escherichia coli / Q000254:growth & development* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D005243:Feces / Q000382:microbiology*; D010861:Fimbriae, Bacterial; D006090:Gram-Negative Bacteria / Q000254:growth & development; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D011446:Prospective Studies
D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D000667:Ampicillin