title: Clinical spectrum of Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) in adults and children.
abstract: This report describes the clinical spectrum of disease among a series of pediatric and adult patients with symptoms of gastroenteritis that subsequently tested positive for Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli in their stool. All diarrheal stools (n = 1712) between July 2005 and November 2006 were tested with Premier EHEC (Meridian Bioscience, Cincinnati, OH). A total of 1.6% patients (27/1712) tested positive and 41% of patients had non-0157 E. coli, which can cause moderate disease requiring hospitalization. Cases of non-0157 E. coli would have been missed without testing for Shiga toxin. All bloody stools, and perhaps all stools, should be tested for Shiga toxin.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, INOVA Fairfax Hospital for Children, Falls Church, Virginia, USA. stephanie_appleman@yahoo.com
authors.forename: Stephanie Simon
authors.initials: SS
authors.lastname: Appleman
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Ascher
authors.forename: Choong
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Park
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004927:Escherichia coli Infections / Q000175:diagnosis*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D054323:Shiga-Toxigenic Escherichia coli / Q000302:isolation & purification*