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Association of Bacteroides fragilis with childhood diarrhea

V H San Joaquin1, J C Griffis, C Lee

  • 1Department of Pediatrics, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, Oklahoma City 73190-3030, USA.

Scandinavian Journal of Infectious Diseases
|January 1, 1995
PubMed

Insights

Enterotoxigenic Bacteroides fragilis (ETBF) are linked to diarrhea in children over one year old. This study confirms ETBF

Area of Science:

  • Microbiology
  • Pediatric Gastroenterology
  • Infectious Diseases

Background:

  • Enterotoxigenic Bacteroides fragilis (ETBF) strains have been implicated in diarrheal illness in children.
  • Previous research suggests an association between ETBF and diarrhea in specific populations.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the role of ETBF in diarrheal illness among children in an urban setting.
  • To determine the prevalence and association of ETBF with diarrhea in different age groups.

Main Methods:

  • Fecal samples were collected from 991 children with diarrhea and 581 asymptomatic controls.
  • Bacteroides fragilis (BF) isolates were cultured and tested for enterotoxin production using a human colonic epithelial cell line.
  • Isolation rates of BF and ETBF were compared between cases and controls across different age strata.

Main Results:

  • BF was isolated more frequently from children with diarrhea (32.1%) than controls (21.2%).
  • ETBF showed a significant association with diarrheal disease in children aged 1-5 years (5.4% vs 1.8%) and 1-10 years (4.8% vs 1.5%).
  • While BF isolation rates were similar in children under 1 year, they were significantly higher in children over 1 year with diarrhea.

Conclusions:

  • ETBF are significantly associated with diarrheal illness in children aged 1-10 years in an urban environment.
  • The findings suggest that ETBF plays a role in pediatric diarrhea, particularly in older children.
  • A portion of indigenous BF strains appear to be inherently enterotoxin producers.

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