CONTROLLED-STUDY OF CYTOLETHAL DISTENDING TOXIN-PRODUCING ESCHERICHIA-COLI INFECTIONS IN BANGLADESHI CHILDREN

The role of cytolethal distending toxin (CDT)-producing Escherichia co li, a newly described category of E. coli, in the causation of diarrhe a was studied by screening E. coli isolates from 546 children <5 years of age with diarrhea and 215 matched controls without diarrhea by usi ng a specific DNA probe. Although CDT-positive E. coli strains were is olated from more children with diarrhea than from healthy controls (3. 1 versus 0.93%), this difference did not reach statistical significanc e (P = 0.082). All CDT-positive strains also possessed the virulence f actors of enteropathogenic E. coli or enteroaggtegative E. coli isolat es.