Enteropathogenic Escherichia coli diarrhea in hospitalized children in Bangladesh.
The role of enteropathogenic Escherichia coli (EPEC) was evaluated in a group of children with endemic diarrhea admitted to Dhaka Shishu Hospital in Dacca, Bangladesh. EPEC was detected in fecal samples of 23% of 104 cases and 8% of 74 concurrent control children. The most commonly isolated EPEC strains were serogroups O20a, O20c:K61; O20a, O20b:K84; O26:K60; and O18a, O18c:K77. Except for O26:K60, these groups had not been reported from Bangladesh. On testing for enterotoxin production, only two strains (serogroups O26:K60, O18a, and O18c:K77) were enterotoxigenic. None was enteroinvasive as tested in the guinea pig conjunctivitis model. Our study supports the concept that EPEC may be an important cause of endemic diarrhea in Bangladesh.
D001459:Bangladesh; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003967:Diarrhea / Q000382:microbiology*; D004926:Escherichia coli / Q000145:classification / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000472:pathogenicity*; D004927:Escherichia coli Infections / Q000382:microbiology*; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D012703:Serotyping