Enteropathogen carriage by healthy individuals living in an area with poor sanitation

Abstract

SUMMARY: Faecal carriage of bacterial enteropathogens (enteropathogenicEscherichia coli(EPEC), shigellae and salmonellae) was studied in 265 individuals: 65 infants 3–6 months of age (50 bottle-fed and 15 breast-fed), 100 school-age children 8–10 years of age and 100 adults 21–50 years of age. All were apparently healthy, did not have gastrointestinal symptoms, had not received antibiotics in the proceding fortnight and were not malnourished. Enteropathogens were isolated from the faeces of 24 individuals (9–1%). Cultures were positive for enteropathogens in 20% of the infants (both breast- and bottle-fed), 8% of school-age children and 3% of the adults. EPEC was the most frequent isolate. Twelve different serotypes were detected. The highest recoveries wereE. coli026: K60 and 044·K74. Shigella was detected only in school-age children (2%) and salmonella only in adults (1%).Campylobacter jejuniandYersinia enterocoliticawere studied only in the school-age children: there was one isolate of each of them. Most enteropathogens isolated were susceptible to the majority of the antibiotics tested. Only fourE. colistrains, isolated from bottle-fed infants, could be considered multi-resistant. Two of the strains wereE. coli044: K74 and 020a020c: K61. The remainder wereE. coli0111: K58 and were capable of transferring some of their antibiotic resistance traits to a recipient strain.