Author/Authors :
Alrifai, S.B. University of Tikrit - College of Medicine - Department of Medical Microbiology, Tikrit , Alsaadi, A. University of Kufa - College of Science - Department of Bacteriology and Immunology, Iraq , Mahmood, Y.A. University of Tikrit - College of Medicine - Department of Medical Education, Iraq , Ali, A.A. Al-Kadhimiya Teaching Hospital - Central Laboratory - Department of Microbiology, Iraq , Al-Kaisi, L.A. Al-Kadhimiya Teaching Hospital - Central Laboratory - Department of Serology, Iraq
Abstract :
A cross-sectional hospital-based study was carried out at Tikrit teaching hospital, Iraq, from October 2004 to September 2005, to identify the prevalence and etiology of nosocomial infectious diarrhoeaamong children under 5 years of age. Of 259 children admitted to the paediatric ward for reasons other than diarrhoea and hospitalized for more than 3 days, clinical and laboratory analysis of stool samples showed nosocomial diarrhoea in 84 children (32.4%). The most common causative agents were enteropathogenic Escherichia coli (25.9%), Clostridium difficile (21.0%) and rotavirus (18.5%). Single infectious agents caused 63.1% of the cases, while mixed infections were detected in 16.7%; in 20.2% of children the cause remained unknown.
