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Enteropathogen carriage by healthy individuals living in an area with poor sanitation
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 19 October 2009
Summary
Faecal carriage of bacterial enteropathogens (enteropathogenic Escherichia coli (EPEC), shigellae and salmonellae) was studied in 265 individuals: 65 infants 3–6 months of age (50 bottle-fed and 15 breast-fed), 100 school-age children 8–10 years of age and 100 adults 21–50 years of age. All were apparently healthy, did not have gastrointestinal symptoms, had not received antibiotics in the proceding fortnight and were not malnourished. Enteropathogens were isolated from the faeces of 24 individuals (9–1%). Cultures were positive for enteropathogens in 20% of the infants (both breast- and bottle-fed), 8% of school-age children and 3% of the adults. EPEC was the most frequent isolate. Twelve different serotypes were detected. The highest recoveries were E. coli026: K60 and 044·K74. Shigella was detected only in school-age children (2%) and salmonella only in adults (1%). Campylobacter jejuni and Yersinia enterocolitica were studied only in the school-age children: there was one isolate of each of them. Most enteropathogens isolated were susceptible to the majority of the antibiotics tested. Only four E. coli strains, isolated from bottle-fed infants, could be considered multi-resistant. Two of the strains were E. coli 044: K74 and 020a020c: K61. The remainder were E. coli 0111: K58 and were capable of transferring some of their antibiotic resistance traits to a recipient strain.
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- Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1983
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