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Diarrheagenic Escherichia coli in children from Costa Rica

Cristian Pérez1, Oscar G Gómez-Duarte, María L Arias

  • 1Laboratorio Clínico Hospital Nacional de Niños Dr. Carlos Sáenz Herrera, San José, Costa Rica. cperezc@hnn.sa.cr

The American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene
|August 5, 2010
PubMed

Insights

Diarrheagenic Escherichia coli (E. coli) strains are common in Costa Rican children, with enteropathogenic E. coli and enteroinvasive E. coli being most prevalent. Molecular typing confirmed their significant role in pediatric diarrhea cases.

Area of Science:

  • Microbiology
  • Pediatric Infectious Diseases
  • Molecular Epidemiology

Background:

  • Diarrheal diseases pose a significant health burden in children globally.
  • Escherichia coli (E. coli) is a common cause of bacterial gastroenteritis.
  • Understanding the prevalence of specific diarrheagenic E. coli (DEC) pathotypes is crucial for effective diagnosis and treatment.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To determine the prevalence of diarrheagenic E. coli (DEC) pathotypes in pediatric diarrhea cases in Costa Rica.
  • To characterize DEC strains at the molecular, serologic, and phenotypic levels.
  • To identify the most common DEC pathotypes and their phylogenetic distribution.

Main Methods:

  • Isolation and characterization of 173 E. coli strains from children with diarrhea.
  • Utilized multiplex and duplex polymerase chain reactions (PCR) for detecting six categories of DEC.
  • Phylogenetic grouping of pathogenic E. coli strains.

Main Results:

  • Thirty percent (n=52) of E. coli strains were identified as diarrheagenic.
  • Enteropathogenic E. coli (21%) and enteroinvasive E. coli (19%) were the most prevalent pathotypes.
  • Pathogenic strains were found across phylogenetic groups A, B1, B2, and D, with A and B1 being most common.

Conclusions:

  • Diarrheagenic E. coli has a high prevalence in the pediatric population in Costa Rica.
  • Enteropathogenic E. coli and enteroinvasive E. coli are significant contributors to pediatric diarrhea.
  • Molecular typing is essential for assessing the burden of DEC in public health surveillance.

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