Age-specific prevalence of diffusely adherent Escherichia coli in Brazilian children with acute diarrhoea.
In a prospective study between February 2003 and June 2004, stool specimens of children less than 2 years of age with diarrhoea (n=218) and without diarrhoea (n=86), living in Vitória, Espírito Santo, Brazil, were examined for the presence of diarrhoeagenic Escherichia coli. E. coli isolates were tested by colony blot hybridization with specific DNA probes designed to detect EPEC, ETEC, EIEC, EAEC, DAEC and EHEC/STEC. Diarrhoeagenic E. coli strains were detected as the sole pathogen in stools of 92 (30.3 %) children, including 72 (33.0 %) with diarrhoea and 20 (23.2 %) without diarrhoea. DAEC was the most frequent pathotype and was found significantly more often from patients (18.3 %) than from controls (8.1 %) (P<0.05), particularly among children more than 1 year of age (P=0.01). Atypical EPEC and EAEC isolates were isolated from both patients (5.5 % and 4.6 %, respectively) and controls (6.9 % and 6.9 %, respectively). ETEC was more frequently isolated from patients (3.2 %) than controls (1.2 %). Typical EPEC (0.9 %) and EIEC (0.4 %) isolates were detected only in children with diarrhoea. In conclusion, our data suggest that DAEC should be considered potential pathogens in the region of Brazil studied.
Spano
Liliana C
LC
Universidade Federal do Espírito Santo, Vitória, Espírito Santo, Brazil.
Sadovsky
Ana Daniela I
ADI
Faculdade de Medicina da Santa Casa de Misericórdia São Paulo, Vitória, Espírito Santo, Brazil.
Segui
Paula N
PN
Universidade Federal do Espírito Santo, Vitória, Espírito Santo, Brazil.
Saick
Ketene W
KW
Universidade Federal do Espírito Santo, Vitória, Espírito Santo, Brazil.
Kitagawa
Sonia M S
SMS
Universidade Federal do Espírito Santo, Vitória, Espírito Santo, Brazil.
Pereira
Fausto E L
FEL
Faculdade de Medicina da Santa Casa de Misericórdia São Paulo, Vitória, Espírito Santo, Brazil.
Fagundes-Neto
Ulysses
U
Departamento de Pediatria, Universidade Federal de São Paulo, Escola Paulista de Medicina, São Paulo, Brazil.
Scaletsky
Isabel C A
ICA
Departamento de Microbiologia, Imunologia e Parasitologia, Universidade Federal de São Paulo, Escola Paulista de Medicina, Rua Botucatu 862, 3 andar, 04023-062 São Paulo, SP, Brazil.
D000208:Acute Disease; D017677:Age Distribution; D001938:Brazil / Q000453:epidemiology; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004269:DNA, Bacterial / Q000032:analysis / Q000302:isolation & purification; D003967:Diarrhea / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000382:microbiology; D004926:Escherichia coli / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics* / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D004927:Escherichia coli Infections / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000382:microbiology; D005243:Feces; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D009693:Nucleic Acid Hybridization / Q000379:methods; D015995:Prevalence
D004269:DNA, Bacterial