ENTEROTOXIGENIC ESCHERICHIA-COLI (ETEC) IN HOSPITALIZED ARAB INFANTS FROM JUDEA AREA - WEST-BANK, ISRAEL

Enterotoxigenic Escherichia coil and other related enterotoxigenic spe cies were isolated from 176 (44%) of 399 infants hospitalised in 'Cari tas Baby Hospital' in Bethlehem, during April-December 1993. Ninety fo ur of the patients infected by ETEC, were clinically evaluated. Most o f them suffered from diarrhoea, quite often with fever and vomiting. D ehydration occurred in 58.3% of the patients and failure to thrive (FT T) in 28.5% of them. Severe illness resulted in marasmus in five patie nts and in the death of two others. Most of the ETEC strains (84%) wer e of ST toxin type. Correlation was found between the degree of toxige nity and the severity of the gastroenteritis. The most prevalent ETEC 'O' serogroups were 0-6, 0-20, 0-8, 0-86, 0-126, 0-128 and 0167. Colon ization Factors Antigens (CFAs) were identified in 36% of the isolates , CFAI was characteristic of group 0-126 and 0-128. In the principal O -groups there were high percentages of sensitivity to the antibiotics ceftriaxone, nalidixic-acid, gentamicin and norfloxacin, with resistan ce to anoxycillin, tetracycline and cotrimoxazole.