Frequency and Antibiotic Resistance Pattern of Diarrheagenic Escherichia coli (DEC) Strains Isolated from Children Aged Less Than 10 Years

ABSTRACT              Background and Objectives: Diarrheagenic Escherichia coli (DEC) pathotypes are important causes of diarrhea among children in developing countries. The objective of this study was to determine the frequency and antibiotic resistance pattern of DEC pathotypes in children aged less than 10 years.              Methods: This cross-sectional study was done on 300 E. coli strains isolated from diarrheic stool samples of children aged less than 10 years who were admitted to hospitals and central laboratory in Zahedan, between July and October 2016. DEC pathotypes were identified by standard biochemical testing and phenotypic testing using polyvalent antiserums. Antibiotic resistant pattern of these strains was evaluated against 11 different antibiotics by the agar disk diffusion method according to the Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute guidelines.              Results: Of the 300 E. coli isolates, 89 (29.6%) were found positive for DEC using polyvalent antiserums. In this study, 35 cases (39.3%) reacted with antiserum 1, 21 cases (25.8%) reacted with the antiserum 2, and 31 cases (34.8%) reacted with antiserum 3. The highest rate of resistance was observed against ampicillin (94.8%), tetracycline (87.2%), and co-trimoxazole (70.5%). In addition, the lowest rate of resistance was related to imipenem (1%) and ciprofloxacin (8.9%).              Conclusion: DEC pathotypes are the important causes of diarrhea among children admitted to hospitals of Zahedan. Considering the high rate of antibiotic resistance among these pathotypes in this region, prescription of antibiotics should be based on accurate detection of these strains.              Keywords: Escherichia coli, Child, Antibiotic Resistance.