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Published on: July 22, 2012

Diagnostic yield and pathogen spectrum in pediatric gastroenteritis: A syndromic approach using multiplex PCR in

Soumya Dakshinamurthy1, Usha Kalawat1, Anju Verma1

  • 1Department of Microbiology, Sri Venkateswara Institute of Medical Sciences, Tirupati, Andhra Pradesh, India.

Indian Journal of Medical Microbiology
|July 14, 2026
PubMed

Insights

A study on infectious gastroenteritis in Indian children found that molecular testing detected pathogens in 73.3% of stool samples. Bacterial pathogens like E. coli were most common, with frequent co-infections observed.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric Infectious Diseases
  • Molecular Diagnostics
  • Microbiology

Background:

  • Infectious gastroenteritis (IGE) is a significant cause of illness in young children in India.
  • Current diagnostic methods often miss multiple enteric pathogens, leading to inappropriate antibiotic use.
  • Accurate and rapid diagnosis is crucial for effective treatment and public health management.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To evaluate the utility of the BioFire FilmArray Gastrointestinal (GI) Panel for identifying enteric pathogens in children with acute diarrhea in India.
  • To determine the prevalence of specific bacterial and viral pathogens and co-infections in this pediatric population.

Main Methods:

  • Analysis of 30 stool samples from children aged 5 years or younger presenting with acute diarrhea.
  • Utilized the BioFire FilmArray GI Panel, a multiplex nucleic acid test, for comprehensive pathogen detection.

Main Results:

  • Pathogens were identified in 73.3% of the analyzed stool samples.
  • Bacterial pathogens were predominant, with Enteropathogenic Escherichia coli (33.3%) and Enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (20.0%) being the most frequent.
  • Rotavirus A was the most common viral pathogen (16.7%).
  • Co-infections were detected in 46.7% of positive cases, indicating complex etiology.

Conclusions:

  • The BioFire FilmArray GI Panel offers a rapid and comprehensive diagnostic approach for pediatric infectious gastroenteritis.
  • Syndromic molecular testing reveals a high prevalence of bacterial pathogens and co-infections, challenging empirical treatment strategies.
  • Accurate pathogen identification is essential for targeted antimicrobial therapy and understanding the epidemiology of diarrheal diseases in children.
Keywords:
Acute gastroenteritisBioFire FilmArrayCo-infectionDiarrheagenic E. coliMultiplex PCRPediatric diarrhea

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