Etiology of children's diarrhea in Montevideo, Uruguay: Associated pathogens and unusual isolates

We studied microorganisms associated with infant diarrhea in a group of 256 children admitted to a public pediatric hospital in Montevideo, Uruguay. D iagnostic procedures were updated to optimize detection of potential pathog ens, which were found in 63.8% of cases, and to be able to define their cha racteristics down to molecular or antigenic type. Coinfection with two or m ore agents was detected in more than one-third of positive studies. Escheri chia coli enteric virotypes, especially enteropathogenic E. coli (EPEC), we re shown to be prevalent. Rotavirus, Cryptosporidium, Campylobacter (mainly Campylobacter jejuni), and Shigella flexneri were also often identified. E nterotoxigenic E. coli, Salmonella, and Giardia lamblia were sporadically r ecognized. Unusual findings included two enteroinvasive E. coli strains, on e Shigella dysenteriae 2 isolate, and a non-O:1 Vibrio cholerae culture. EP EC bacteria and S. flexneri (but not Salmonella) showed unusually frequent antimicrobial resistance, especially towards beta-lactam antibiotics, which is the subject of ongoing work.