Detection of Escherichia coli enteropathogens by multiplex polymerase chain reaction from children's diarrheal stools in two Caribbean-Colombian cities.
Acute diarrheal disease is a leading cause of childhood morbidity and mortality in the developing world and Escherichia coli intestinal pathogens are important causative agents. Information on the epidemiology of E. coli intestinal pathogens and their association with diarrheal disease is limited because no diagnostic testing is available in countries with limited resources. To evaluate the prevalence of E. coli intestinal pathogens in a Caribbean-Colombian region, E. coli clinical isolates from children with diarrhea were analyzed by a recently reported two-reaction multiplex polymerase chain reaction (Gomez-Duarte et al., Diagn Microbiol Infect Dis 2009;63:1-9). The phylogenetic group from all E. coli isolates was also typed by a single-reaction multiplex polymerase chain reaction. We found that among 139 E. coli strains analyzed, 20 (14.4%) corresponded to E. coli diarrheagenic pathotypes. Enterotoxigenic, shiga-toxin-producing, enteroaggregative, diffuse adherent, and enteropathogenic E. coli pathotypes were detected, and most of them belonged to the phylogenetic groups A and B1, known to be associated with intestinal pathogens. This is the first report on the molecular characterization of E. coli diarrheogenic isolates in Colombia and the first report on the potential role of E. coli in childhood diarrhea in this geographic area.
Department of Pediatrics, University of Iowa Children's Hospital, Iowa City, Iowa 52242, USA. oscar-gomez@uiowa.edu
Oscar G
OG
Gómez-Duarte
Octavio
O
Arzuza
Delfina
D
Urbina
Jing
J
Bai
Julio
J
Guerra
Oscar
O
Montes
Marta
M
Puello
Ketty
K
Mendoza
Gregorio Y
GY
Castro
D000367:Age Factors; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003105:Colombia / Q000453:epidemiology; D004269:DNA, Bacterial / Q000032:analysis; D003967:Diarrhea / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000382:microbiology*; D054308:Enteropathogenic Escherichia coli / Q000145:classification / Q000302:isolation & purification; D054307:Enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli / Q000145:classification / Q000302:isolation & purification; D004926:Escherichia coli / Q000145:classification* / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D004927:Escherichia coli Infections / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000382:microbiology*; D005243:Feces / Q000382:microbiology; D005516:Food Microbiology; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D010802:Phylogeny; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction / Q000379:methods*
D004269:DNA, Bacterial