Laboratory diagnosis of infectious diarrhoea syndrome; a three years study in two hospitals of infectious diseases.
Infectious diarrhoea is a syndrome caused by a variety of bacterial, viral and parasitic organisms which represents a major cause of morbidity and mortality all over the world. The wide diversity of etiological agents impairs the surveillance and the diagnosis and affects the correct treatment applied to reduce the long-term complications. Besides well known enteric pathogens such as Salmonella, Shigella and Yersinia, a high number of emergent and re-emergent aetiologies are now recognised to be at the origin of diarrhoea. The lack of a correct diagnostic algorithm and adequate methods of analyses leads to under-evaluation and incertitude in an important number of clinical cases. Our study was designed as a complex analysis of the stool specimens collected from the patients, in the purpose to improve the laboratory diagnostic and to enhance the number of confirmed cases of infectious diarrhoea. A number of 756 samples from inpatients with diarrhoea were tested targeting pathogenic and opportunistic bacteria, viruses and parasites by classical and molecular methods. We documented that, in case of non-Salmonella, non-Shigella, non-Yersinia diarrhoea, the quality of diagnostic was improved by increasing the percentage of positive specimens to 22.49% compared to 11.12% when only bacteria, 5.56% when only viruses and 4.10% when only parasites were investigated. The laboratory data are of great value in evaluating the diarrhoea syndrome offering the documentation for an accurate epidemiological response and an adequate treatment.
Damian
Maria
M
National Institute of Research-Development for Microbiology and Immunology Cantacuzino, Bucharest, Romania. mdamian@cantacuzino.ro
Tatu-Chiţoiu
Dorina
D
Usein
Codruţa-Romaniţa
CR
Oprişan
Gabriela
G
Palade
Andi-Marian
AM
Dinu
Sorin
S
Szmal
Camelia
C
Ciontea
Simona Adriana
SA
Ceciu
Stefania
S
Condei
Maria
M
Persu
Ana
A
Baicuş
Anda
A
Pop
Mariana
M
Neagoe
Ionela
I
Steriu
Dan
D
Codreanu
Radu
R
Graur
Marian
M
Cretu
Michaela Carmen
MC
Cilievici
Suzana
S
Nica
Maria
M
Ecovoiu
Alexandru
A
Gavrili
Lucian
L
D001424:Bacterial Infections / Q000453:epidemiology*; D019411:Clinical Laboratory Techniques; D003967:Diarrhea / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000382:microbiology / Q000469:parasitology / Q000821:virology; D005243:Feces / Q000382:microbiology / Q000469:parasitology / Q000821:virology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D010272:Parasitic Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology*; D012383:Romania / Q000453:epidemiology; D014777:Virus Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology*