The association of enteropathogenic Escherichia coli (EPEC) and gastroenteritis

ABSTRACT

A total of 619 cases of adults with gastroenteritis admitted to Yangon General Hospital, Workers' Hospital and Infectious Diseases Hospital were included in this study. It was observed that 33 percent were suffering from gastroenteritis due to enteropathogenic Escherichia coli (EPEC). The most prominent EPEC sero-groups encoutered were 01, 026, 055, 086, 0114, 0125 and 0128. The antibiotic sensitivity pattern showed that 87 percent of enteropathogenic Escherichia coli (EPEC) were resistant to ampicillin, 58 percent to chloramphenicol, 49 percent to streptomycin, 55 percent to benzyl penicillin, 44 percent and 21 percent respectively to tetracyclline and septrin. They were all sensitive to nalidixic acid but 97 percent to gentamicin, 96 percent to sisomycin and 95 percent to tobramycin respectively.