title: Laboratory diagnosis of infectious diarrhoea syndrome; a three years study in two hospitals of infectious diseases.
abstract: 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.
authors.affiliation: National Institute of Research-Development for Microbiology and Immunology Cantacuzino, Bucharest, Romania. mdamian@cantacuzino.ro
authors.forename: Maria
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Damian
authors.forename: Dorina
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Tatu-Chiţoiu
authors.forename: Codruţa-Romaniţa
authors.initials: CR
authors.lastname: Usein
authors.forename: Gabriela
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Oprişan
authors.forename: Andi-Marian
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Palade
authors.forename: Sorin
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Dinu
authors.forename: Camelia
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Szmal
authors.forename: Simona Adriana
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Ciontea
authors.forename: Stefania
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ceciu
authors.forename: Maria
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Condei
authors.forename: Ana
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Persu
authors.forename: Anda
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Baicuş
authors.forename: Mariana
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Pop
authors.forename: Ionela
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Neagoe
authors.forename: Dan
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Steriu
authors.forename: Radu
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Codreanu
authors.forename: Marian
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Graur
authors.forename: Michaela Carmen
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Cretu
authors.forename: Suzana
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Cilievici
authors.forename: Maria
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Nica
authors.forename: Alexandru
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ecovoiu
authors.forename: Lucian
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Gavrili
mesh_terms: 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*