Enteroaggregative Escherichia coli (EAEC): An Emerging Enteric Pathogen in South of Iran

Enteroaggregative E. coli (EAEC) is increasingly recognized as a cause of often persistent diarrhea in children and adults in both developing and developed countries. The aim of the present study was to investigate the presence and the frequency of EAEC as etiologic agent of diarrhea in Shiraz. A total of 715 stool samples were collected from patients with diarrhea in Shiraz. Diarrheagenic E. coli were isolated by biochemical tests and culture from 715 stool samples collected from different hospitals. Diarrheagenic E. coli strains isolated from diarrheal stool samples were examined for the detection of the aggR gene by Real time PCR and PCR method. In this study, a total of 101 (14.12%) diarrheagenic E. coli were isolated from 715 stool samples collected from different hospitals. The infected patients were 58 (57%) males and 43 (43%) females. Out of these 101 diarrheagenic E. coli identified, 5 were confirmed as EAEC in patient. The EAEC strains were isolated from 3 of the 43 females (43%) and 2 of the 58 males (57%) with the mean age of 11.4±1.2 age. In this study, 5 EAEC strains were isolated from one patient with bloody diarrhea and 4 patients with watery diarrhea. The high prevalence of EAEC isolates was also found in watery diarrhea. We therefore, recommend the routine isolation and identification of EAEC strains from patient with diarrhea in all the clinical laboratories and other pathotype diarrheagenic E. coli in Iran.