Abstract
Stool specimens from 3,600 diarrhoeal patients from the island of Crete, Greece, were examined for bacterial pathogens, during a three-year period (1992–1994). One or more pathogens were identified in 826 patients (22.9%), more often from children. Salmonella spp. were the most frequently isolated organisms in 13.6% of the patients, followed by Campylobacter in 4.7%, and enteropathogenic Escherichia coli (EPEC) in 3.9%. Yersinia enterocolitica was found in 0.7%, Shigella spp. in 0.7% and Aeromonas hydrophila in 0.05%. Vibrio spp. and enterohaemorragic E. coli were not identified in the stools tested. Resistance to ampicillin was observed in 36% of the Salmonella, 62% of the Shigella, and 27% of the EPEC isolates. Cotrimoxazole resistance was observed in 42% of the Shigella and 12% of the EPEC isolates, while tetracycline and the quinolones were inactive against almost half and erythromycin against 20% of the Campylobacter isolates. This is the first study investigating bacterial pathogens associated with diarrhoea on the island of Crete.
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Samonis, G., Maraki, S., Christidou, A. et al. Bacterial pathogens associated with diarrhoea on the island of Crete. Eur J Epidemiol 13, 831–836 (1997). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1007318003083
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1007318003083