Abstract

SANCHEZ, Samanta; ROPMECIN, Paola; GUACHALLA, Luis Miguel  and  INIGUEZ, Volga. Geno-Phenotypic characterization of aeec Escherichia coli isolated from children with infectious diarrheal diseases in La Paz: relevancy for the diagnosis and epidemiology of acute diarrheal diseases. Rev. bol. ped. [online]. 2004, vol.43, n.3, pp.132-143. ISSN 1024-0675.

In this study, enteropathogenic (EPEC) and enterohemorrhagic (EHEC) E. Coli, two E. Coli categories causing attaching and effacing lesions, were isolated and characterized from children with diarrhea less than 5 years of age. The AEEC pathogenic profile was analyzed by PCR for the presence of the intimin (eae), bundle-forming pilus (bfpA) and Shiga toxin (stx, stx2) genes. Phenotypic analysis for the presence of antibiotic multi-resistance, sorbitol fermentation and B-D glucoronidase were also performed. AEEC prevalence was 7%. EPEC accounted for 95% of the isolates of which 83% were atypical. A high percentage of EPEC isolates is resistant to more than 5 antibiotics. The multi-resistance frequency to 5 and 2 antibiotics suggest antibiotic resistance transmission by lateral transfer. The lack of correlations between EPEC serogroups and genotypic strain profile demonstrates that serological DEC diagnosis is not useful for local isolates. EHEC isolates were remarkably susceptible to most of the antibiotics tested. The isolation of 0157 and 06 serogroups is reported. This is the first report of EPEC and EHEC molecular strain characterization. The results described are relevant for EAEE diagnosis, treatment and epidemiology of diarrheal diseases in Bolivia.

Keywords : Attaching and Effacing (EA); Bundlina (BFP); Intimin (EAE); Shiga toxin (STX).