title: Diarrheal disease in Peru after the introduction of cholera.
abstract: Surveillance was conducted one day each week from December 1992 through May 1993 to determine the clinical features and etiology of diarrhea among a population in a suburban community of Lima, Peru. Patients who had had three or more loose stools during the previous 24 hr were enrolled at a clinic located in the community or at a nearby regional hospital. A total of 143 cases of diarrhea were detected for an overall rate of 7.1 cases per 1,000 population. The enteropathogens isolated were Vibrio cholerae 01 (31%), enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (22%), and Salmonella, Shigella, Campylobacter, and Aeromonas species (10%). Specimens from the remaining cases were negative for enteropathogens. All isolates of V. cholerae were susceptible to tetracycline, doxycycline, nalidixic acid, norfloxacin, trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole, trimethoprim, gentamicin, chloramphenicol, and cephalothin. Cases of diarrhea associated with V. cholerae were more common among adults, and more likely to experience severe dehydration and require hospitalization than the non-cholera cases. Data indicated that among the cases diagnosed, V. cholerae and enterotoxigenic E. coli were the more common causes of diarrhea in a suburban community of Lima during the summer season.
authors.affiliation: Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia, Lima, Peru.
authors.forename: R E
authors.initials: RE
authors.lastname: Begue
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Castellares
authors.forename: K E
authors.initials: KE
authors.lastname: Hayashi
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Ruiz
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Meza
authors.forename: C K
authors.initials: CK
authors.lastname: English
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Gotuzzo
authors.forename: J L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Sanchez
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Oberst
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000333:Aeromonas / Q000302:isolation & purification; D017677:Age Distribution; D002167:Campylobacter / Q000302:isolation & purification; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D002771:Cholera / Q000150:complications / Q000453:epidemiology*; D003681:Dehydration / Q000209:etiology; D003967:Diarrhea / Q000150:complications / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000382:microbiology*; D004926:Escherichia coli / Q000302:isolation & purification; D005243:Feces / Q000382:microbiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D010568:Peru / Q000453:epidemiology; D012475:Salmonella / Q000302:isolation & purification; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D017678:Sex Distribution; D012760:Shigella / Q000302:isolation & purification; D013383:Suburban Population; D014734:Vibrio cholerae / Q000302:isolation & purification