Author/Authors :
Moshtagian، Fatemah نويسنده Department of Microbiology, Pharmaceutical Science Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran , , Alipour، Majid نويسنده Department of Microbiology, Babol Branch, Islamic Azad University, Babol, Iran , , Yahyapour، Yousef نويسنده Infectious Disease and Tropical Center, Babol University of Medical Sciences, Babol, IR Iran ,
Abstract :
Background: Diarrheagenic Escherichia coli (DEC) are major causes of diarrhea in the world particularly among infants and young children.
Objectives: The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of DEC strains in stool samples from children under 5 years old.
Patients and Methods: Stool specimens were collected from 200 children under 5 years visiting hospital due to gastroenteritis. E. coli pathotypes were detected by using conventional culture techniques and polymerase chain reaction (PCR).
Results: Sixty-eight (34%) out of 200 specimens were positive for DEC. Different pathotypes would show the following profiles: 43 (21.5%) for enteropathogenic E. coli (EPEC); 18 (9%) for enterotoxigenic E. coli (ETEC) including 10 (55.5%) st positive, 6 (33.3%) lt positive and 2 (11.1%) st and lt both positive; 6 (3%) for enteroaggregative E. coli (EAEC) and 1 (0.5%) for enteroinvasive E. coli (EIEC). Enterohemorrhagic E. coli (EHEC) was not isolated from any of the E. coli strains tested.
Conclusions: This study shows that DEC is a common cause of childhood diarrhea in Babol. EPEC and ETEC were the most frequent pathotypes in the population under study.
