Fecal lactoferrin, fecal leukocytes and occult blood in the diagnostic approach to childhood invasive diarrhea

ABSTRACT

This study was carried out on 60 children with acute diarrhea, from pediatric department faculty of medicine, A-Azhar University, from November 2002 to Jne 2003, their mean age was [3+1.5] years. To evaluate the value of fecal lactoferrin, [F.LF] fecal leukocytes [F.L] and fecal occult blood [O.B] in the diagnostic approach to childhood invasive diarrhea. Our results showed that 20% had campylobacter, 16.5% with shigellosis 9.2% had E. Coli, 6.6 with Salmonellosis, 9.2% had entamebia, 5% with giardia, 3.3% with cryptosporidium and 31.6% with no pathogen. Also our results revealed the sensitivity of individual tests was 97.12%, 78.7% and 68.95% in FL.F, O.B and F.L. respectively. On the other hand the negative predictive values in combined tests was 100% in both FLF+FL and FLF + OB while it was 87.9% in FL+OB. So FLF showed a greater over all sensitivity than FL or OB for detecting invasive pathogen and the combination of FLF or FL and of FL.F or OB or both yielded sensitivities and negative predictive value close to 100%. Conclusion FLF was the most accurate index test, it may be viewed as the screening test of choice to avoid expensive stool culture in the diagnostic approach to invasive diarrhea