Antimicrobial resistance of diarrheagenic Escherichia coli isolated from children under the age of 5 years from Ifakara, Tanzania

• Published in: Antimicrobial agents and chemotherapy Vol. 43; no. 12; pp. 3022 - 3024
• Main Authors: VILA, J, VARGAS, M, CASALS, C, URASSA, H, MSHINDA, H, SCHELLEMBERG, D, GASCON, J
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Washington, DC American Society for Microbiology 01.12.1999
• Series: Note
• Subjects: Antibacterial agents; Antibiotics. Antiinfectious agents. Antiparasitic agents; Biological and medical sciences; Child, Preschool; Diarrhea - microbiology; DNA, Bacterial - chemistry; DNA, Bacterial - genetics; Drug Resistance, Microbial; Drug Resistance, Multiple; Escherichia coli; Escherichia coli - drug effects; Escherichia coli Infections - microbiology; Feces - microbiology; Genes, Bacterial; Humans; Infant; Medical sciences; Microbial Sensitivity Tests; Pharmacology. Drug treatments; Polymerase Chain Reaction; Susceptibility; Tanzania; Africa; Tanzania; Human; Toxicity; Escherichia coli; Diarrhea; Epidemiology; Resistance; Antibiotic; Digestive diseases; Bacteria; Intestinal disease; Antibacterial agent; Child; Public health; Enterobacteriaceae
• ISSN: 0066-4804; 1098-6596
• DOI: 10.1128/AAC.43.12.3022

Diarrhea caused by multidrug-resistant bacteria is an important public health problem among children in developing countries. The prevalence and antimicrobial susceptibility of diarrheagenic Escherichia coli in 346 children under 5 years of age in Ifakara, Tanzania, were studied. Thirty-eight percent of the cases of diarrhea were due to multiresistant enterotoxigenic E. coli, enteroaggregative E. coli, or enteropathogenic E. coli. Strains of all three E. coli categories showed high-level resistance to ampicillin, tetracycline, co-trimoxazole, and chloramphenicol but were highly susceptible to quinolones. Guidelines for appropriate use of antibiotics in developing countries need updating.