[Detection of diarrheagenic Escherichia coli in children from poor neighborhoods in Corrientes, Argentina].

Introduction: acute diarrheas bring high morbidity and mortality in developing countries and diarrheagenic Escherichia coli (DEC) appears as frequent etiological agent in all these places.

Objective: to detect the presence of pathogenic types of DEC in children attending the Health Centers in poor neighborhoods in the city of Corrientes, Argentina.

Methods: Feces from one hundred and twenty patients were cultured; E. coli isolates were selected in those cases negative for Salmonella or Shigella, and they were studied by multiplex PCR in order to characterize the pathogenic types of DEC.

Results: one hundred and twelve patients were included. All of them had urban housing with drinking water supply and toilet. In 41 samples (37%) some DEC type was detected but none of them (STEC 7, EPEC 7, EIEC 7, EAEC 10, and ETEC 10) was predominant. There were not significant differences between the DEC pathogenic types and the sex or the age group of patients.

Conclusions: DEC is frequent etiologic agent in children and the recognition of each pathogenic type will allow implementing prophylactic measures according with its epidemiology.