title: [Detection of diarrheagenic Escherichia coli in children from poor neighborhoods in Corrientes, Argentina].
abstract: BACKGROUND
  acute diarrheas bring high morbidity and mortality in developing countries and diarrheagenic Escherichia coli (DEC) appears as frequent etiological agent in all these places.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  to detect the presence of pathogenic types of DEC in children attending the Health Centers in poor neighborhoods in the city of Corrientes, Argentina.
  
  
  METHODS
  Feces from one hundred and twenty patients were cultured; E. coli isolates were selected in those cases negative for Salmonella or Shigella, and they were studied by multiplex PCR in order to characterize the pathogenic types of DEC.
  
  
  RESULTS
  one hundred and twelve patients were included. All of them had urban housing with drinking water supply and toilet. In 41 samples (37%) some DEC type was detected but none of them (STEC 7, EPEC 7, EIEC 7, EAEC 10, and ETEC 10) was predominant. There were not significant differences between the DEC pathogenic types and the sex or the age group of patients.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  DEC is frequent etiologic agent in children and the recognition of each pathogenic type will allow implementing prophylactic measures according with its epidemiology.
authors: Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Nacional del Nordeste, Corrientes, Argentina.
authors: Medina Marcelo
authors: MM
authors: Gabriel
authors: Patricia
authors: P
authors: Esquivel
authors: Viviana
authors: V
authors: Lifschitz
authors: Myriam
authors: M
authors: Lucrecia Medina
authors: Liliana
authors: L
authors: Silvina Lösch
authors: Luis
authors: L
authors: Antonio Merino
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D001118:Argentina; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003967:Diarrhea / Q000382:microbiology*; D004927:Escherichia coli Infections / Q000150:complications* / Q000382:microbiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D011203:Poverty; D012111:Residence Characteristics