title: Molecular epidemiology of Escherichia coli diarrhoea in children in Tehran.
abstract: From July to December 2003, four categories of diarrhoeagenic Escherichia coli were investigated in Tehranian children with acute diarrhoea. Stool specimens of children under 5 years of age with diarrhoea (n=200) and matched controls (n=200) without diarrhoea were studied for the presence of entero-aggregative (EAEC), enteropathogenic (EPEC), enterotoxigenic (ETEC) and Shiga toxin-producing (STEC) E. coli by PCR identification of six different genes of diarrhoeagenic E. coli. STEC isolates were typed by O157 and H7 antisera. EAEC was the most prevalent category and was found in 24% of patients with diarrhoea and 8% of controls (p<0.0001). ETEC was isolated in 15.5% of patients with diarrhoea but not in any controls ( p<0.0001), STEC in 15% of patients and 2% of controls (p<0.0001) and EPEC in 6% of patients and 5% of controls. Of 30 STEC isolates from patients with diarrhoea, seven were O157:H7 and 23 were non-O157:H7.
authors.affiliation: Department of Foodborne and Diarrheal Diseases, Research Center for Gastroenterology and Liver Diseases, Shaheed Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran. salmanzadeh1@yahoo.com
authors.forename: Siavosh
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Salmanzadeh-Ahrabi
authors.forename: Effat
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Habibi
authors.forename: Fereshteh
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Jaafari
authors.forename: Mohammad-Reza
authors.initials: MR
authors.lastname: Zali
mesh_terms: D000208:Acute Disease; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003967:Diarrhea / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000382:microbiology; D004926:Escherichia coli / Q000235:genetics* / Q000302:isolation & purification; D005243:Feces / Q000382:microbiology; D005798:Genes, Bacterial / Q000235:genetics; D005838:Genotype; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007492:Iran / Q000453:epidemiology; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction / Q000379:methods; D015995:Prevalence