title: Bacterial pathogens associated with diarrhoea on the island of Crete.
abstract: Stool specimens from 3,600 diarrhoeal patients from the island of Crete, Greece, were examined for bacterial pathogens, during a three-year period (1992-1994). One or more pathogens were identified in 826 patients (22.9%), more often from children. Salmonella spp. were the most frequently isolated organisms in 13.6% of the patients, followed by Campylobacter in 4.7%, and enteropathogenic Escherichia coli (EPEC) in 3.9%. Yersinia enterocolitica was found in 0.7%, Shigella spp. in 0.7% and Aeromonas hydrophila in 0.05%. Vibrio spp. and enterohaemorragic E. coli were not identified in the stools tested. Resistance to ampicillin was observed in 36% of the Salmonella, 62% of the Shigella, and 27% of the EPEC isolates. Cotrimoxazole resistance was observed in 42% of the Shigella and 12% of the EPEC isolates, while tetracycline and the quinolones were inactive against almost half and erythromycin against 20% of the Campylobacter isolates. This is the first study investigating bacterial pathogens associated with diarrhoea on the island of Crete.
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Bacteriology - Parasitology - Zoonoses and Geographical Medicine, University Hospital of Heraklion, Crete, Greece.
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Samonis
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Maraki
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Christidou
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Georgiladakis
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Tselentis
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D002167:Campylobacter / Q000302:isolation & purification; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003967:Diarrhea / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000382:microbiology*; D004352:Drug Resistance, Microbial; D004926:Escherichia coli / Q000302:isolation & purification; D005243:Feces / Q000382:microbiology*; D006115:Greece / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D012475:Salmonella / Q000302:isolation & purification; D012621:Seasons; D012760:Shigella / Q000302:isolation & purification