Enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli and other enteropathogens in paediatric diarrhoea in Addis Ababa.
This study was performed during two weeks among 86 paediatric outpatients of poor socio-economic background. A control group comprised 60 healthy children. Enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (ETEC) was the most common diarrhoeal agent isolated (26%). Strains of ETEC producing heat-labile (LT) only or LT and heat-stable (ST) enterotoxin were isolated from 11% each and ETEC producing ST only from 4% of the patients. ETEC was also found not infrequently among controls (10%). ETEC with O-antigens 78, 6 and 8 were shown to harbour colonization factors. Enterotoxigenic bacteria were found as contaminants in 5 of 24 feeding bottles investigated. Enteropathogenic Escherichia coli (EPEC) and Shigella species were isolated from 8% each and rotavirus from 24% of the patients. Twelve patients infected with ETEC only were compared to 66 patients not infected with ETEC. Patients infected with ETEC had a relatively mild disease and it was not possible by clinical findings to distinguish those patients infected with ETEC, LT and/or ST producing, carrying or not carrying colonization factors from those infected with other agents. This study underlines the need for extended studies of the clinical significance of ETEC infection in developing countries.
D003968:Diarrhea, Infantile / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000382:microbiology*; D004768:Enterotoxins / Q000378:metabolism*; D004926:Escherichia coli / Q000302:isolation & purification* / Q000378:metabolism; D005243:Feces / Q000382:microbiology; D005260:Female; D005516:Food Microbiology; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007225:Infant Food; D008297:Male; D013048:Specimen Handling
D004768:Enterotoxins