Seasonal pattern of enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (ETEC) in children under three years of age

ABSTRACT

Children aged one month to three years from Yangon Children Hospital were studied. A total of 923 cases of diarrhoea and 932 cases of control were included in this study. The total isolation rate of ETEC was 232 cases (25.2 percent) and 55 casea (5.9 percent) from diarrhoea and control cases respectively. In the diarrhoea group, out of 232 cases of ETEC, 43 cases (4.7 percent) were STLT, 134 cases (14.5 percent) were ST and 55 cases (6.0 percent) were LT. In the control group, out of 55 cases of ETEC, 6 cases (0.6 percent) were STLT, 21 cases (2.3 percent) were ST and 28 cases (3.0 percent) were LT. Although ETEC was found in children all the year round, the incidence rate was higher during the months of February to July with the highest peak of 47.0 percent in June. ETEC occurred in the control cases with the maximum isolation rate of 16 percent in June.