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

Journal article

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.

Authors: Vila, J; Vargas, M; Casals, C; Urassa, H; Mshinda, H

• Publication status: Published
• Journal: Antimicrobial agents and chemotherapy
• Volume: 43
• Issue: 12
• Pages: 3022-3024
• Publication date: 1999-12-01
• EISSN: 1098-6596
• ISSN: 0066-4804
• Language: English
• Keywords: Escherichia coli; Diarrhea; Child, Preschool; Polymerase Chain Reaction; Drug Resistance, Microbial; Microbial Sensitivity Tests; Tanzania; Drug Resistance, Multiple; Genes, Bacterial; DNA, Bacterial; Humans; Escherichia coli Infections; Feces; Infant