Inter-hospital cross-infection of epidemic infantile gastro-enteritis associated with type strains of Bacterium coli

Abstract

Evidence of how epidemics of infantile gastro-enteritis can spread from one hospital to at least three other hospitals has been presented. Three such outbreaks are described, in two of which the α-type of Bact. coli, and in one the β-type of Bact. coli, were associated with the cases of enteritis.It is suggested that in hospitals which admit infants routine examination of the infants' faeces should be made to identify these types of Bact. coli, and that institutional epidemics of gastro-enteritis should be notified to a central bureau together with the cultural findings, so that the pooled knowledge could be redistributed to paediatric centres.The aetiological relationship between infantile gastro-enteritis and these type strains of Bact. coli is briefly discussed.