[Enteropathogenic agents isolated in persistent diarrhoea]

Out of 45558 patients admited in our hospital, from January 1990 to December 1993, the clinical records of 4445 children with diarrhoea (4289 with acute diarrihoea and 156 with persistent diarrhoea) were reviewed. Those with positive bacteriological or parasitological results were taken as sample. Salmonella was the bacteria most frequently isolated in both groups of patients. ECEP and ECEH had a similar distribution while Shigella showed a higher frequency in cases of persistent diarrhoea, for a third pace of incidence. From the parasitological point of view, Cryptosporidium and Giardia had the same behavior.