ABSTRACT
Background & objectives: Diarrhoeagenic Escherichia coli strains are common agents of diarrhoea particularly in developing countries. Food products of animal origin are considered as common carriers of E. coli. This study was undertaken to identify enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (ETEC) and enteropathogenic E. coli (EPEC) pathotypes in animal-source foods (ASF). Methods: A total of 222 ASF samples were investigated. Based on the culture and biochemical tests, 109 E. coli isolates were identified. Duplex-polymerase chain reaction assay was used to detect ETEC and EPEC. The target genes selected for each category were the lt and st for the ETEC, and eae and bfp for the EPEC isolates. Results: The occurrence of E. coli in dairy and meat products was 45 and 52.5 per cent, respectively. Among the E. coli isolates, two ETEC, one typical EPEC and three atypical EPEC were detected in meat samples, whereas only one typical EPEC and one atypical EPEC were detected in dairy samples. Interpretation & conclusions: Our results showed presence of ETEC and EPEC strains in ASFs. The milk without pasteurization and traditional dairy products produced in unhygienic conditions are most likely the main sources of E. coli pathotypes and other zoonotic pathogens and thus can be considered a potential hazard to the health of the community.
Subject(s)
Diarrhea/microbiology , Enteropathogenic Escherichia coli/isolation & purification , Enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli/isolation & purification , Food Microbiology , Animals , Cattle , DNA, Bacterial/genetics , DNA, Bacterial/isolation & purification , Diarrhea/diagnosis , Diarrhea/genetics , Enteropathogenic Escherichia coli/pathogenicity , Enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli/pathogenicity , Feces/microbiology , Foodborne Diseases/epidemiology , Foodborne Diseases/microbiology , Humans , Iran/epidemiology , Milk/microbiology , Polymerase Chain Reaction , SerotypingABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) occurs as a life-threatening complication in critically ill mechanically ventilated patients. Probiotic administration may modify the gut microbiota; however, whether this modification could decrease VAP occurrence is not known. METHODS: In this study, 100 adult critically ill patients undergoing mechanical ventilation for >48 hours were randomly assigned to either the probiotic or the control group. The patients in the probiotic group received 2 capsules of probiotic preparation containing Lactobacillus, Bifidobacterium, and Streptococcus spp., and those in the control group received placebo daily for 14 days. RESULTS: The patients in the probiotic group had a lower incidence of statistically microbiologically confirmed VAP. The duration of intensive care unit (ICU) and hospital stay was also lower in the probiotic group (P < .05). More than half of the patients in the control group had gastric residuals during ICU stay, compared with only 30% of patients in the probiotic group (P = .004). Probiotic usage led to a nonsignificant decrease in diarrhea, gastric and oropharyngeal colonization, and incidence of multidrug-resistant pathogens. The Kaplan-Meier survival curves for time to the first episode of VAP did not show a significant difference between probiotic and control groups (log-rank test = 1.89; P = .17). CONCLUSIONS: The results of probiotic administration for the prevention of VAP remain inconclusive in this trial. However, such an approach can decrease the length of ICU and hospital stay. Well-designed multicenter clinical studies with defined combinations of probiotics and definite end points are necessary in this field.
