Is Escherichia coli O157:H7 a common pathogen in children with bloody diarrhea in Shiraz, Iran?

ABSTRACT

Escherichia coli (E. coli) O157H7 is a common cause of bloody diarrhea in developed countries. The aim of this study was to determine whether E. coli O157H7 is a possible pathogen of bloody diarrhea in southern Iran. Out of 719 children with diarrhea, 243 (34%) patients with positive occult blood took part in our study. The polyclonal antibody test and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) were used to identify E. coli O157H7. Stool cultures showed enteropathogens in 107 patients (44%). Shigella (34.3%) was followed by E. coli (8.6%), campylobacter (2%) and salmonella (0.4%). None of the E. coli species was of O157H7 serotype. Antibiotic sensitivity of shigella species was 100% to ceftriaxone, ciprofloxacin and ceftazidime, 94% to nalidixic acid and 13% to co-trimoxazole. The results of the study showed that E. coli O157H7 is not a cause of bloody diarrhea in our area.