Cholera-like diarrhea in Canada. Report of a case associated with enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli and a toxin-producing Aeromonas hydrophila

Abstract

A 67 yr old Indian patient was admitted with an acute cholera-like illness. Toxigenic E. coli producing heat-stable and heat-labile enterotoxins grew from cultures of feces. An A. hydrophila producing a cytotoxic toxin was also isolated from this patient''s feces. The unusual severity of this patient''s illness may have resulted from coinfection with these 2 toxigenic organisms, although any role of the toxin produced by A. hydrophila is speculative.