The Prevalence of Enteropathogenic Escherichia coli in Infantile Diarrhea and their Antibiotic Susceptibility Pattern

Diarrheal disease is a major cause of illness and death among infants, and young children worldwide. In the study of diarrhea in man, especially in young infants, the principal microorganisms implicated are salmonella, shigella and enteropathogenic strains of Escherichia coli (EEC). The objective of this study was to determine the prevalence of enteropathogenic E. coli in infantile diarrhea using as subjects children with ages ranging from birth to two years. All were suffering from diarrhea when admitted at the Philippine General Hospital. The most prevalent serological type of enteropathogenic E. coli isolated from the stools of diarrheic patients and the antibiotic susceptibility pattern were also determined. The study yielded the following results: During the 13 month period (Feb. 1, 1976- Feb. 28, 1977), 1,607 infants suffering from diarrhea were found to be due to specific pathogenic organisms such as EEC, salmonella and shigella. Eighty three or (5.2%) were found to harbor EEC. The remaining 1,252 infants were found to harbor "normal flora " of the gastrointestinal tract. No viral studies were done. Among the E. coli strains isolated, serotype 0119: K 69 (B 14) was most frequently seen (54.2%), followe