Non-01 Vibrio cholerae infections in Cancun, Mexico.

To determine the role of Vibrio cholerae as a cause of diarrheal illness in Cancun, Mexico, an investigation was conducted in July and August 1983. Although toxigenic V. cholerae 01 were not found, non-01 V. cholerae were isolated from 22 (16%) of 134 stools from persons with diarrheal illness and none of 22 stools from well persons; 58 (92%) of 63 sewage samples; 12 (86%) of 14 untreated well water samples; a home storage tank for treated water; and 5 (21%) of 24 samples of raw seafood. None of the V. cholerae isolates from patients were toxigenic. The illness occurred mainly in small children, and were characterized principally by diarrhea and abdominal pain. No patient was seriously ill, and all recovered without sequelae. Seven different serotypes of non-01 V. cholerae were isolated from the stool specimens, and Smith serotype 12 accounted for 10 (46%) of the 22 isolates. A matched-pair case-control study found that cases were more likely than controls to have eaten home prepared gelatin (P = 0.03, OR = 5/0) and seafood (P = 0.06, OR = 4/0).

Bottled beverages and typhoid fever: the Mexican epidemic of 1972-73.

A chloramphenicol resistant strain of S. typhi which caused a very large epidemic of typhoid fever in Mexico in 1972-73 survived in opened bottles of one carbonated drink with a pH of 4.6 for two weeks and in another such drink with a pH of 5.1 for six months. Bottled beverages are potential sources of large outbreaks of enteric disease, and deserve the same type of standards sand monitoring as comparable fluids such as milk.

[Institutional epidemic gastroenteritis caused by Salmonella enteritis Worthington type in 1976]. / Gastroenteritis epidémica institucional por Salmonella enteritis ser Worthington en 1976.

An outbreak of gastroenteritis that occurred in a boarding school in Mexico is described. The attack rate was 100% since all of 151 pupils were involved. Salmonella enteritidis serotype Worthington was identified as the only etiologic agent. This microorganism was isolated from 60% of the samples studied. Due to the delay in notification the food ingested during the outbreak could not be analyzed.

Laboratory investigation of diarrhea in travelers to Mexico: evaluation of methods for detecting enterotoxigenic Echerichia coli.

A laboratory investigation was conducted on cultures collected from travelers before, during, and after a trip to Mexico to characterize the etiology of traveler's diarrhea. Four laboratory methods for detecting enterotoxigenicity of Escherichia coli were evaluated: the infant mouse assay, the Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cell assay, the Y1 adrenal cell assay, and the rabbit ileal loop. Although a number of common enteric pathogens were identified as a cause of traveler's diarrhea, including six serotypes of Salmonella, two serotypes of Shigella, Vibrio parahaemolyticus, Giardia lamblia, and Entamoeba histolytica, enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli was most commonly isolated. Strains were identified that produced only heat-labile enterotoxin (LT), only heat-stable enterotoxin (ST), or both LT and ST. The infant mouse assay yielded results falling into two distinct groups, providing a clear separation of positive and negative cultures. The CHO assay also formed two groups, with positive cultures producing 11% or more of the elongated cells. There was good agreement between the CHO and the Y1 adrenal cell assays for detection of LT. The adrenal cell system for detection of LT was more suitable than the CHO assay for processing large numbers of specimens because of the miniculture modification of this method utilized in this study. The infant mouse method was a simple and reliable method for detecting ST.

Travelers' diarrhea and toxigenic Escherichia coli.

In a group of 133 United States students studied for 18 days after arriving in Mexico, diarrhea developed in 38 (29 per cent). Diarrhea rarely began before the fourth day, and the mean onset was 13 days after arrival. Symptoms lasted an average of 3.4 days but persisted in 21 per cent of sick students. Heat-labile enterotoxin-producing Escheria coli was found in the stools of 72 per cent of sick and 15 per cent of healthy students. None had heat-labile Esch. coli when they entered Mexico. The incubation period was short, generally 24 to 48 hours, and the carrier state was five days or less in 82 per cent of students surveyed. Entamoeba histolytica was found in 6 per cent of cases of diarrhea, but not salmonella, shigella or penetrating Esch. coli. These studies suggest that approximately 70 per cent of travelers' diarrhea in Mexico is associated with heat-labile toxigenic strains of Esch. coli.