Isolation of Enteropathogenic Escherichia coli (EPEC) from chronic diarrheal Iraqi Infants

Objective: Detection and Isolation of Enteropathogenic Escherichia coli (EPEC) from Iraqi Infants with chronic diarrhea as a cause of infectious diarrhea among Iraqi Infants. Methods: From March 2016 to September 2017, a total of 60 fresh stool samples were collected (40samples from infants with a chronic diarrhea and 20 samples as healthy control), they ranged in age from 3 to 24 months. To detect EPEC, all stool specimens were cultured on MacConkey agar (Difco) and TSI agar, motility and IMViC tests and EPEC serogroups “with polyspecific O-antisera Anti-Coli were performed. Results: Diarrhea cases in this study were 40 (66.6%), most of them among age group (12-18) months. The infections with Escherichia coli in this study were16 (40%) from 40 patients most of them among age groups (12-18) months and most of them were among male. Ten patients (40%) of Enteropathogenic E. coli were isolated From 16 E. coli patients, most of them in the age group (6-12)months. Conclusion: The results showed that there was a significant correlation between diarrhea and age, indicating the role of EPEC as main cause of prolonged diarrhea.