title: A 5-year study of the bacterial pathogens associated with acute diarrhoea on the island of Crete, Greece, and their resistance to antibiotics.
abstract: During a 5-year period (1995-1999) a total of 7090 stool samples obtained from patients with acute diarrhoea, mostly community-acquired, were examined for bacterial pathogens, in the Greek island of Crete. One or more enteric pathogens were isolated from 987 patients (14%). Salmonella enterica were the most commonly isolated bacteria (6%), followed by Campylobacter spp. (4.2%), and enteropathogenic Escherichia coli (EPEC) (1.8%). Yersinia enterocolitica (0.6%), Shigella spp. (0.3%), and Aeromonas hydrophila (0.04%), were less frequently isolated. Clostridium difficile was isolated from 65 out of 451 diarrhoeal specimens examined (14.4%). Toxin B was detected in all cases. No verotoxigenic E. coli strains were identified. Resistance to ampicillin was observed in 31.5% of the Salmonella, 58.3% of the Shigella and 31.5% of the EPEC isolates. Resistance to trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole was observed in 4.4% of the Salmonella, 30.5% of the Shigella, and 18.5% of the EPEC isolates. High percentages of resistance to quinolones (44.5% to norfloxacin, and 40.5% to ciprofloxacin), were found among Campylobacter isolates, while resistance to erythromycin was observed in 14.9% of them. With the present study we continue the surveillance of bacterial pathogens associated with diarrhoeal disease on the island of Crete.
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Bacteriology-Parasitology-Zoonoses and Geographical Medicine, University Hospital of Heraklion, P.O. Box 1352, Heraklion 711 10, Crete, Greece.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Maraki
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Georgiladakis
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Tselentis
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Samonis
mesh_terms: D000208:Acute Disease; D000293:Adolescent; D016980:Aeromonas hydrophila / Q000187:drug effects / Q000302:isolation & purification; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000494:pharmacology* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D001424:Bacterial Infections / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000382:microbiology; D017000:Campylobacter coli / Q000187:drug effects / Q000302:isolation & purification; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D016360:Clostridioides difficile / Q000187:drug effects / Q000302:isolation & purification; D017714:Community-Acquired Infections / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000382:microbiology; D003428:Cross Infection / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000382:microbiology; D003967:Diarrhea / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000382:microbiology*; D024881:Drug Resistance, Bacterial; D004755:Enterobacteriaceae / Q000145:classification / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D005260:Female; D006115:Greece / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D015995:Prevalence; D014195:Travel
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents