title: Clinical features of infantile diarrhea associated with single or multiple enteric pathogens.
abstract: Clinical features of infantile diarrhea were studied among 603 infants from birth to 12 months of age to determine the predominant clinical feature(s) seen in infantile diarrhea associated with a specific enteric pathogen. Among the major clinical features, fever was most often seen in diarrhea due to Yersinia spp. (61.5%) followed by that in rotavirus (26.1%). Vomiting was mostly associated with Vibrio cholerae infection (90.9%) and shigellosis (64.6%). Dehydration was predominant in Vibrio cholerae (90.9%) and Salmonella (84.9%) infections. Bloody diarrhea was mostly due to Shigella infection (74.3%). As regards diarrhea with multiple pathogens, vomiting and dehydration were most frequent with Campylobacter+Enteropathogenic Escherichia coli (EPEC) (88.9% and 77.8%, respectively), while fever was more common with rotavirus+Shigella+Escherichia coli and rotavirus+Giardia. Infection with invasive organisms lead to vomiting, 4-10 stools per day and dehydration significantly more often as compared to infections with non-invasive organisms. Similarly more stools of patients infected with invasive organisms showed presence of blood and more than 5 leukocytes/HPF as compared to those infected with non-invasive organisms.
authors.affiliation: Department of Bacteriology, Punjab University, Lahore.
authors.forename: J P
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Masoumi
authors.forename: M S
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Anwar
authors.forename: S R
authors.initials: SR
authors.lastname: Bokhari
mesh_terms: D002169:Campylobacter Infections / Q000175:diagnosis; D003681:Dehydration / Q000382:microbiology; D003968:Diarrhea, Infantile / Q000382:microbiology* / Q000469:parasitology / Q000473:pathology / Q000821:virology; D004405:Dysentery, Bacillary / Q000175:diagnosis; D004755:Enterobacteriaceae / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D004756:Enterobacteriaceae Infections / Q000175:diagnosis; D004927:Escherichia coli Infections / Q000175:diagnosis; D005243:Feces / Q000382:microbiology / Q000469:parasitology / Q000821:virology; D005334:Fever / Q000382:microbiology / Q000469:parasitology / Q000821:virology; D005873:Giardiasis / Q000175:diagnosis; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007962:Leukocytes / Q000473:pathology; D012400:Rotavirus Infections / Q000175:diagnosis; D012480:Salmonella Infections / Q000175:diagnosis; D014735:Vibrio Infections / Q000175:diagnosis; D014839:Vomiting / Q000382:microbiology; D015009:Yersinia Infections / Q000175:diagnosis