Risk Factors for Sporadic Shiga Toxin–producingEscherichia coliInfections in Children, Argentina1

Abstract

We evaluated risk factors for sporadic Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) infection among children in Argentina. We conducted a prospective case-control study in 2 sites and enrolled 150 case-patients and 299 controls. The median age of case-patients was 1.8 years; 58% were girls. Serotype O157:H7 was the most commonly isolated STEC. Exposures associated with infection included eating undercooked beef, living in or visiting a place with farm animals, and contact with a child <5 years of age with diarrhea. Protective factors included the respondent reporting that he or she always washed hands after handling raw beef and the child eating more than the median number of fruits and vegetables. Many STEC infections in children could be prevented by avoiding consumption of undercooked beef, limiting exposure to farm animals and their environment, not being exposed to children with diarrhea, and washing hands after handling raw beef.

Genetic diversity of O157:H7 and non-O157 verocytotoxigenic Escherichia coli from Argentina inferred from multiple-locus variable-number tandem repeat analysis (MLVA)

“…A prospective study carried out in Argentina showed that from 96 patients with culture-confirmed VTEC infection that had a single VTEC isolation 58 (60%) corresponded to O157:H7 and 38 (40%) to non-O157 (Rivas et al, 2008). Besides, cases of human disease caused by non-O157 VTEC increased globally by 60.5% between 2000 and 2005, while at the same time cases caused by O157 VTEC increased by only 13% (Coombes et al, 2008).…”

Treatment options for HUS secondary to Escherichia coli O157:H7

“…1,3,[8][9][10][11] HUS develops approximately 7 days (interquartile range 5-8 days) after the onset of gastrointestinal symptoms and 4 (2-6) days after the onset of bloody diarrhea (Bitzan M et al, unpublished). Colitis as well as HUS and CNS disease have been etiologically linked to the biological action of E. coli-derived Stx, predominantly Stx 1, 2 and 2c.…”

Resistance of foodborne pathogen coliphages to thermal and physicochemical treatments applied in food manufacture

“…Also, enteropathogenic E. coli (EPEC) strains are responsible for human outbreaks worldwide (Varela et al, 2007;Viljanen et al, 1990). Argentina is the country with the highest incidence of HUS in the world (Rivas et al, 2008), representing 51% of the annual cases worldwide. In addition, health care costs to treat HUS are about US$12.1 million per year (Caletti, Petetta, Jaitt, Casaliba, & Gimenez, 2006).…”