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Journal of Clinical Microbiology, December 2000, p. 4425-4429, Vol. 38, No. 12
Laboratory of Enteric Pathogens, National
Public Health Institute, Helsinki,1 and
Helsinki University Central Hospital, Department of
Medicine, Division of Infectious Diseases,2 and
Hospital for Children and Adolescents,3
00029 HUS, Finland
Received 5 July 2000/Returned for modification 31 August
2000/Accepted 24 September 2000
The incidence of diarrhea and the prevalence of bacterial
enteropathogens, viruses, and parasites in feces of subjects with and
without diarrhea were evaluated in 204 Finns traveling round the world
(from Finland to China, Malaysia, Australia, Fiji, Chile, and Brazil
and back to Finland). Special emphasis was placed on the finding of
diarrheagenic Escherichia coli (enterotoxigenic, enteropathogenic, Shiga toxin-producing, and enteroaggregative strains)
by PCR from growth on primary culture plates. From the PCR-positive
samples, corresponding strains were isolated, confirmed as E. coli, and O serotyped. Of all the subjects, 37% experienced a
total of 90 episodes of diarrhea. No adenoviruses or rotaviruses were
detected, and findings of parasites were insignificant. In contrast,
enteropathogenic bacteria were present in 62% of the 65 diarrheal and
in 33% of the 127 nondiarrheal samples (P < 0.001); diarrheagenic E. coli strains were found in 35 and 26% of
these, respectively (not statistically significant). As a single
pathogen, E. coli was found in 20 and 24% of samples (not
significant). Of all diarrheagenic E. coli strains,
enteropathogenic strains were the most commonly found independently of
the clinical picture of the subjects, whereas Salmonella
enterica as a single pathogen was the most common non-E.
coli organism found in diarrheal samples. Multiple bacterial
pathogens were found 10 times more commonly in diarrheal than in
nondiarrheal samples (20 versus 2%; P < 0.001).
0095-1137/00/$04.00+0
Copyright © 2000, American Society for Microbiology. All rights reserved.
Prevalence of Diarrheagenic Escherichia
coli in Finns with or without Diarrhea during a
Round-the-World Trip
*
Corresponding author. Mailing address: Laboratory of
Enteric Pathogens, National Public Health Institute, Mannerheimintie 166, FIN-00300, Helsinki, Finland. Phone: 358-9-47441. Fax:
358-9-47448238. E-mail: anja.siitonen{at}ktl.fi.
Journal of Clinical Microbiology, December 2000, p. 4425-4429, Vol. 38, No. 12
0095-1137/00/$04.00+0
Copyright © 2000, American Society for Microbiology. All rights reserved.
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