Enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (ETEC) in hospitalised Arab infants from Judea area--west bank, Israel.
Enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli and other related enterotoxigenic species were isolated from 176 (44%) of 399 infants hospitalised in 'Caritas Baby Hospital' in Bethlehem, during April-December 1993. Ninety four of the patients infected by ETEC, were clinically evaluated. Most of them suffered from diarrhoea, quite often with fever and vomiting. Dehydration occurred in 58.3% of the patients and failure to thrive (FTT) in 28.5% of them. Severe illness resulted in marasmus in five patients and in the death of two others. Most of the ETEC strains (84%) were of ST toxin type. Correlation was found between the degree of toxigenity and the severity of the gastroenteritis. The most prevalent ETEC "O' serogroups were 0-6, 0-20, 0-8, 0-86, 0-126, 0-128 and 0167. Colonization Factors Antigens (CFAs) were identified in 36% of the isolates, CFAI was characteristic of group 0-126 and 0-128. In the principal O-groups there were high percentages of sensitivity to the antibiotics ceftriaxone, nalidixic-acid, gentamicin and norfloxacin, with resistance to anoxycillin, tetracycline and cotrimoxazole.
Wolk
M
M
Ministry of Health, Government Central Laboratory, Jerusalem, Israel.
Ohad
E
E
Shafran
R
R
Schmid
I
I
Jarjoui
E
E
D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D018912:Arabs; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003968:Diarrhea, Infantile / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000382:microbiology*; D004768:Enterotoxins / Q000145:classification* / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D004926:Escherichia coli / Q000145:classification / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D004927:Escherichia coli Infections / Q000188:drug therapy*; D006760:Hospitalization; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007557:Israel; D008826:Microbial Sensitivity Tests; D012703:Serotyping
D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D004768:Enterotoxins