Asymptomatic infections by diarrheagenic Escherichia coli in children from Misiones, Argentina, during the first twenty months of their lives

Abstract

Diarrheagenics Escherichia coli are the major agents involved in diarrheal disease in developing countries. The aim of this study was to evaluate the time of appearance of the first asymptomatic infection by the different categories of diarrheagenic E. coli in 44 children since their birth and during the first 20 months of their lives. In all of the children studied, we detected at least one category of diarrheagenic E. coli through the 20 months of the study. 510 diarrheagenic E. coli (33.5%) were obtained from the 1,524 samples collected from the 44 children during the time of the study (31.4% EAggEC, 28.8% EPEC, 27.1% DAEC, and 12.7% ETEC). Neither EHEC nor EIEC were identified. The median age for diarrheagenic E. coli colonization was 7.5 months. The mean weaning period was 12.8 months and the mean age for introduction of mixed feeding (breast fed supplemented) was 3.8 months. A significantly lower incidence of diarrheal disease and asymptomatic infections was recorded among the exclusively breast-fed rather than in the supplemented and non breast-fed infants. For ETEC, EPEC and EAggEC the introduction of weaning foods and complete termination of breast-feeding were associated with an increase of asymptomatic infections.

Diarrhea Burden Due to Natural Infection with Enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli in a Birth Cohort in a Rural Egyptian Community

“…This study revealed that the mean age for the first ETEC-associated diarrheal episode was 7.5 months and that the risk of first infection is primarily age under 9 months; this finding was similar to that in other studies (8,29). However, in Bangladesh, the children were older (12 months of age) when they had their first reported infection (27).…”

Detection of Zoonotic Enteropathogens in Children and Domestic Animals in a Semirural Community in Ecuador

“…Most children under 5 years of age (59.4%) carried intestinal pathogens but were asymptomatic (nondiarrheic stool), a phenomenon also observed with nonzoonotic human enteric pathogens in LMICs (42)(43)(44)(45)(46), and this may be due to herd immunity resulting from regular exposure to these pathogens (47); immune mothers may transfer immunoglobulins to their offspring through the placenta and breast milk. Another factor protecting people from symptomatic infection may be the microbiota composition (48).…”

High Frequency of Diarrheagenic Escherichia coli in Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) Patients with and without Diarrhea in Lima, Perú

“…3 Colonization with enteric pathogens is common in other populations, such as children from developing countries. 5,6 A complex relationship between factors related to the host (cell immunosuppresion), the bacterial agent, and the environment (high frequency of exposure to enteric pathogens caused by fecal contamination of water and food) may be responsible for the enteric pathogen colonization in HIV individuals from developing countries.…”