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Abstract

The aim of the present case control study was to investigate the prevalence of atypical enteropathogenic (EPEC) and its possible role in causing diarrhoea among children < 5 years of age in Norway. Stool specimens received in the laboratory from children with suspected gastroenteritis ( = 251) were, in addition to routine testing, analysed for the presence of EPEC by PCR of the , and genes. Specimens from healthy children ( = 210) recruited from Maternal and Child Health Centres were analysed for EPEC only. EPEC isolates ( , ) were classified as typical ( ) or atypical ( ), and were tested for O : K serogroup. Information on duration of diarrhoea was recorded in a questionnaire and from referral forms. Atypical EPEC was diagnosed in 37 patients (14.7 %) compared to 21 (10.0 %) of the healthy controls [Odds ratio (OR) = 1.4, = 0.3]. Only three isolates, all from patients, belonged to EPEC serogroups. One patient had typical EPEC. Twenty (22.5 %) of 89 patients with diarrhoea lasting ⩾14 days had atypical EPEC. The association between atypical EPEC and prolonged diarrhoea (OR = 2.1, = 0.04) was caused by a high prevalence among female patients (40.6 %). In conclusion, atypical EPEC was found to be slightly more prevalent in patients than controls, without any overall significant association with diarrhoea. However, a significant association was observed with diarrhoea lasting 14 days or more, a finding that may indicate a role for atypical EPEC in prolonged disease.

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2004-11-01
2025-02-14
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