The spectrum and epidemiological features of the bacterial pathogens responsible for diarrhea syndrome in Hainan Province from 2010 to 2011

Objective To investigate the spectrum and epidemiological characteristics of the bacterial pathogens responsible for diarrhea syndrome in Hainan Province in order to provide a scientific basis for prevention and control measures.Methods Stool samples were collected from patients with gastroenteritis(diarrhea)syndrome who visited sentinel hospitals from 2010to 2011.Clinical information on these patients was collected and analyzed,and bacterial pathogens were examined.Results In total,189strains of diarrheagenic bacteria were detected from 782patients with diarrhea for a rate of isolation of 24.17%.These 189strains included 112strains of diarrheagenic Escherichia coli(59.26%),25strains of Klebsiella(13.23%),15strains of Shigella(7.94%),8strains of Salmonella(4.23%),6strains of Vibrio(3.17%),and 6strains of Yersinia enterocolitica(3.17%).Among the 112strains of diarrheagenic Escherichia coli,105strains were of an unknown type(93.75%)while 7were of a known type,including 2strains of enterotoxigenic E.coli(28.57%)and 2of enteroaggregative E.coli(28.57%),1strain of enteroinvasive E.coli(14.29%),1strain of enteropathogenic E.coli(14.29%),and 1strain of enterohemorrhagic E.coli(14.29%).The 15strains of Shigella included 6strains of Shigella boydii(Group C)(40%),4strains of Shigella sonnei(Group D)(26.67%),3strains of Shigella flexneri(Group B)(20%),and 2strains of Shigella dysenteriae(Group A)(13.33%).Of the 6 Vibrio strains,3were Vibrio cholerae(50.00%)while the remaining 3were Vibrio parahaemolyticus(50.00%).The rate of detection in patients of different ages ranged from 3.42%-39.69%,and highest rate of detection was in children ages 0to 5years,followed by children ages 5to 10years.There were no differences in the rate of detection in males and females(P 0.05).Pathogenic bacteria were most often detected in May,August,and September.Pathogenic bacteria were detected at a higher rate from January to April and from September to December.Conclusion From 2010to 2011,diarrheagenic Escherichia coli and Klebsiella were the main pathogenic bacteria responsible for bacterial diarrhea in Hainan Province.There were marked regional,seasonal,and age differences in the distribution of those pathogenic bacteria.