title: Detection of diarrheagenic Escherichia coli from children with and without diarrhea in Salvador, Bahia, Brazil.
abstract: We identified different diarrheagenic (DEC) Escherichia coli pathotypes isolated from 1,207 children with and without acute endemic diarrhea in Salvador, Bahia, Brazil collected as part of a case-control study. Since the identification of DEC cannot be based on only biochemical and culture criteria, we used a multiplex polymerase chain reaction developed by combining five specific primer pairs for Enteropathogenic Escherichia coli (EPEC), Shiga toxin-producing E. coli/ Enterohaemorrhagic E. coli (STEC/EHEC), Enterotoxigenic E. coli (ETEC) and Enteroaggregative E. coli (EAEC) to detect these pathotypes simultaneously in a single-step reaction. In order to distinguish typical and atypical EPEC strains, these were tested for the presence of EAF plasmid. The prevalence of diarrheagenic E. coli in this sample of a global case-control study was 25.4% (259 patients) and 18.7% (35 patients) in the diarrhea group (1,020 patients) and the control group (187 patients), respectively. The most frequently isolated pathotype was EAEC (10.7%), followed by atypical EPEC (9.4%), ETEC (3.7%), and STEC (0.6%). Typical EPEC was detected only in one sample. The prevalence of the pathotypes studied in children with diarrhea was not significantly different from that in children without diarrhea.
authors.affiliation: Laboratório de Bacteriologia, Instituto Butantan, São Paulo, SP, 05503-900, Brazil.
authors.forename: Vanessa
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Bueris
authors.forename: Marcelo Palma
authors.initials: MP
authors.lastname: Sircili
authors.forename: Carla Romano
authors.initials: CR
authors.lastname: Taddei
authors.forename: Maurilio Fernandes
authors.initials: MF
authors.lastname: dos Santos
authors.forename: Marcia Regina
authors.initials: MR
authors.lastname: Franzolin
authors.forename: Marina Baquerizo
authors.initials: MB
authors.lastname: Martinez
authors.forename: Suzana Ramos
authors.initials: SR
authors.lastname: Ferrer
authors.forename: Mauricio Lima
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Barreto
authors.forename: Luiz Rachid
authors.initials: LR
authors.lastname: Trabulsi
mesh_terms: D001938:Brazil; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003967:Diarrhea / Q000382:microbiology*; D019353:Endemic Diseases; D004926:Escherichia coli / Q000145:classification* / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification; D004927:Escherichia coli Infections / Q000382:microbiology*; D005243:Feces / Q000382:microbiology; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D012703:Serotyping