title: An epidemiological study on Verotoxin-producing Escherichia coli (VTEC) infection among population of northern region of Iran (Mazandaran and Golestan provinces).
abstract: Faecal samples from 3268 randomly selected inhabitants of two provinces in the northern region of Iran were screened to detect Verotoxin-producing Escherichia coli (VTEC) using colony sweep polymyxin-B extraction method. Non-sorbitol fermentation phenotype and slide agglutination with O157 and H7 antisera used to detect this serotype. We found that 0.7% of the population were infected with VTEC, however none of the isolates belonged to O157:H7 serotype. We also found that children < 6 years of age were at highest risk of infection with VTEC (p < 0.05). Moreover, a significant association was found between the VTEC and diarrhoeal cases at the same age group (p < 0.001). Overall distribution of the VTEC isolates in the general population was found to be random, though a kind of clustered distribution could be noticed.
authors.affiliation: Microbiology Department, Pasteur Institue of Iran, Tehran, Iran.
authors.forename: Mohammad Mehdi
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Aslani
authors.forename: Saeid
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Bouzari
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003967:Diarrhea / Q000382:microbiology; D016021:Epidemiologic Studies; D004926:Escherichia coli / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D004927:Escherichia coli Infections / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000382:microbiology; D005243:Feces / Q000382:microbiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007492:Iran / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D022603:Shiga Toxins / Q000096:biosynthesis*
chemical_list: D022603:Shiga Toxins