Prevalence of Escherichia coli Pathotypes Among Children With Diarrhea in Babol, Northern Iran

Background: Diarrheagenic Escherichia coli (DEC) are major causes of diarrhea in the world particularly among infants and young children. Objectives: The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of DEC strains in stool samples from children under 5 years old. Patients and Methods: Stool specimens were collected from 200 children under 5 years visiting hospital due to gastroenteritis. E. coli pathotypes were detected by using conventional culture techniques and polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Results: Sixty-eight (34%) out of 200 specimens were positive for DEC. Different pathotypes would show the following profiles: 43 (21.5%) for enteropathogenic E. coli (EPEC); 18 (9%) for enterotoxigenic E. coli (ETEC) including 10 (55.5%) st positive, 6 (33.3%) lt positive and 2 (11.1%) st and lt both positive; 6 (3%) for enteroaggregative E. coli (EAEC) and 1 (0.5%) for enteroinvasive E. coli (EIEC). Enterohemorrhagic E. coli (EHEC) was not isolated from any of the E. coli strains tested. Conclusions: This study shows that DEC is a common cause of childhood diarrhea in Babol. EPEC and ETEC were the most frequent pathotypes in the population under study.