Association of Escherichia coli O157:H7 with necrotizing enterocolitis in a full-term infant.
Necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) is the most common gastrointestinal emergency of the neonate. NEC is predominantly seen in premature infants; however, in rare instances it can affect full-term infants as well. Although the pathogenesis of NEC remains elusive, it is well established that bacterial colonization is required for development of this disease. In this report, we present a case of a full-term infant, who developed a very aggressive form of NEC and was found to have Escherichia coli (E. coli) O157:H7 both in stool and blood cultures. Unfortunately, despite aggressive surgical and intensive care management, this infant suffered pan-intestinal necrosis and expired. We were not able to establish the route of transmission. To our knowledge, this is the first report of the association of E. coli O157:H7 with NEC.
Guner
Yigit S
YS
Department of Pediatric Surgery, Childrens Hospital Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA. yguner@chla.usc.edu
Malhotra
Ajay
A
Ford
Henri R
HR
Stein
James E
JE
Kelly
Lisa K
LK
D020345:Enterocolitis, Necrotizing / Q000382:microbiology* / Q000601:surgery; D004927:Escherichia coli Infections / Q000382:microbiology*; D019453:Escherichia coli O157 / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D047929:Term Birth