Infectious diarrhea, a common disease of children, deserves permanent monitoring in all social groups. To know the etiology\nand clinical manifestations of acute diarrhea in children up to 5 years of age from high socioeconomic level households, we\nconducted a descriptive, microbiological, and clinical study. Stools from59 children with acute community-acquired diarrhea were\nexamined, and their parents were interviewed concerning symptoms and signs. Rotavirus, adenovirus, and norovirus were detected\nby commercially available qualitative immunochromatographic lateral flow rapid tests. Salmonella, Campylobacter, Yersinia, and\nShigella were investigated by standard bacteriological methods and diarrheagenic E. coli by PCR assays. We identified a potential\nenteric pathogen in 30 children.Themost frequent causes of diarrheawere enteropathogenic E. coli (EPEC), viruses, Campylobacter,\nSalmonella, and Shiga-toxin-producing E. coli (STEC). Only 2 patients showed mixed infections. Our data suggest that children\nwith viral or Campylobacter diarrheawere taken to the hospital earlier than those infectedwith EPEC. One child infectedwith STEC\nO26 developed ââ?¬Å?completeââ?¬Â HUS. The microbiological results highlight the importance of zoonotic bacteria such as atypical EPEC,\nCampylobacter, STEC, and Salmonella as pathogens associated with acute diarrhea in these children. The findings also reinforce\nour previous communications about the regional importance of non-O157 STEC strains in severe infant food-borne diseases
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