prevalence of bacterial intestinal pathogens in healthy people in a rural area

ABSTRACT

In a survey, bacterial intestinal pathogens unassociated with diarrhoeal episodes were isolated from 51.9% of stool samples ftom 1064 individuals in Kerdasah village, Giza Governorate, and identified by the conventional biochemical and serological methods. The results show that the majority isolates were Proteus species [223 persons] followed by Klebsiella [117 persons] and Citrobacter [56 persons]. Whereas Salmonella and Shigella were identified in 42 and 38 persons respectively, 32 persons showed the non-fermenting lactose E. coli. Only 16 persons showed Pseudomonas infection, Hafnia, Providencia, Alkalescens and Serratia were isolated from 12, 8, 5 and 3 persons respectively. In this study the isolated bacteria from males were [47.1%] lower than those from females [60.9%]. It is important to understand the prevalence of intestinal pathogens in a population to know the dynamics of intestinal infection and the pathogenesis of diarrhoea