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Potential Diarrheal Pathogens Common Also in Healthy Children in Angola

Tuula Pelkonen1,2, Mauro Dias Dos Santos1, Irmeli Roine3

  • 1From the Hospital Pediátrico David Bernardino, Luanda, Angola.

The Pediatric Infectious Disease Journal
|September 9, 2017
PubMed

Insights

Molecular diagnostics identified enteropathogens in nearly all children in Luanda, Angola. Diarrhea cases showed significantly more mixed infections, highlighting the complexity of childhood diarrhea.

Area of Science:

  • Microbiology
  • Infectious Diseases
  • Pediatrics

Background:

  • Diarrhea remains a leading cause of child mortality globally.
  • Molecular diagnostic methods are increasingly preferred over traditional assays for pathogen detection.
  • Enteropathogen prevalence in children in Luanda, Angola, requires investigation.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the prevalence and types of enteropathogens in children with and without diarrhea in Luanda, Angola.
  • To compare pathogen detection rates between children with and without diarrhea using molecular methods.

Main Methods:

  • Multiplex real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was used to test stool samples.
  • 194 stool samples from 98 children with diarrhea and 96 healthy children were analyzed.
  • 17 different enteropathogens were screened for in each sample.

Main Results:

  • Enteropathogens were detected in 91% of samples; bacteria (78%), viruses (50%), and parasites (25%).
  • Diarrhea cases showed significantly higher detection rates for combined pathogens, bacteria, and viruses (P = 0.003).
  • Mixed infections (multiple pathogens) were more frequent in children with diarrhea (87%) compared to those without (59%, P < 0.0001).

Conclusions:

  • Multiplex PCR is effective in detecting a wide range of enteropathogens in pediatric stool samples.
  • Children with diarrhea in Luanda frequently experience infections with multiple enteropathogens.
  • Specific pathogens like E. coli, Shigella, Campylobacter, rotavirus, sapovirus, and Cryptosporidium were associated with diarrhea.
Abstract

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