ABSTRACT
Clinical features of infantile diarrhea were studied among 603 infants from birth to 12 months of age to determine the predominant clinical feature[s] seen in infantile diarrhea associated with a specific enteric pathogen. Among the major clinical features, fever was most often seen in diarrhea due to Yersinia spp. [61.5%] followed by that in rotavirus [26.1%]. Vomiting was mostly associated with Vibrio cholerae infection [90.9%] and shigellosis [64.6%]. Dehydration was predominant in Vibrio cholerae [90.9%] and Salmonella [84.9%] infections. Bloody diarrhea was mostly due to Shigella infection [74.3%]. As regards diarrhea with multiple pathogens, vomiting and dehydration were most frequent with Campylobacter+Enteropathogenic Escherichia coli [EPEC] [88.9% and 77.8%, respectively], while fever was more common with rotavirus+Shigella+Escherichia coli and rotavirus+Giardia. Infection with invasive organisms lead to vomiting, 4-10 stools per day and dehydration significantly more often as compared to infections with non-invasive organisms. Similarly more stools of patients infected with invasive organisms showed presence of blood and more than 5 leukocytes/HPF as compared to those infected with non-invasive organisms