title: High prevalence of antimicrobial drug-resistant diarrheagenic Escherichia coli in asymptomatic children living in an urban slum.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The aim of this study was to investigate the presence of diarrheagenic Escherichia coli and antibiotic resistance in asymptomatic school-age children living in an area with defective environmental sanitation, comparing with children registered at a private school, both in the city of Osasco, Brazil.
  
  
  METHODS
  Seventy-nine school-age children between 5 and 10 years living in a slum and 35 children who attended a private school of the same city were included in the study.
  
  
  RESULTS
  DEC was found in 58% of the children living in the slum and in 17% of the control group (P=0.001). Resistance to at least one antimicrobial drug was found in 65% of DEC strains; resistant to two or more antimicrobial drugs was found in 46% of strains.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The high carriage status among the slum children point towards the widespread environment contamination in low socio-economic housing conditions, in conformance with the pediatric population at higher risk for developing DEC diarrhea.
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Microbiologia, Imunologia e Parasitologia, Universidade Federal de São Paulo, 04023-062, São Paulo, Brazil.
authors.forename: Tamara B
authors.initials: TB
authors.lastname: Souza
authors.forename: Mauro B
authors.initials: MB
authors.lastname: Morais
authors.forename: Soraia
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Tahan
authors.forename: Ligia C F L
authors.initials: LC
authors.lastname: Melli
authors.forename: Mirian S C
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Rodrigues
authors.forename: Isabel C A
authors.initials: IC
authors.lastname: Scaletsky
mesh_terms: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D001938:Brazil / Q000453:epidemiology; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D002947:Cities; D003967:Diarrhea / Q000453:epidemiology*; D024881:Drug Resistance, Bacterial; D004926:Escherichia coli / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D004927:Escherichia coli Infections / Q000453:epidemiology*; D005243:Feces / Q000382:microbiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008826:Microbial Sensitivity Tests; D011153:Population; D011204:Poverty Areas; D015995:Prevalence; D037521:Virulence Factors / Q000032:analysis
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D037521:Virulence Factors