DOI: 10.36347/sjams.2016.v04i08.008

Pages: 2767-2770

Shiga toxin producing Escherichia coli (STEC) is an important group of E. coli that can cause severe diarrhoea and many food borne outbreaks worldwide. STEC is known to be associated with large scale outbreaks affecting hundreds of people reported over the past two decades. In Indian scenario, the incidence of diarrheagenic E.coli (DEC) is largely unknown. Most persons with diarrhoea-associated HUS have an O157 STEC infection. Prompt and accurate diagnosis of STEC O157 infection is important because appropriate treatment, early in the course of infection might decrease renal damage and improve patient outcome. This prospective cross sectional study was taken up to know the prevalence of E.coli O157 in paediatric diarrhoea cases, to assess the role of Sorbitol MacConkey agar (SMAC) in the preliminary identification of O157 E.coli and also to evaluate O157 antigen detection in confirmation of non-sorbitol fermenting E.coli as O157 E.coli. 100 diarrhoea stool specimens from paediatric group of less than five years were processed and inoculated on Sorbitol MacConkey agar. All non-sorbitol fermenting E.coli strains were tested for O157 antigen using rapid immunocard kit. 13% of E.coli isolates produced non sorbitol fermenting colonies on Sorbitol MacConkey agar (SMAC), of these 8 isolates (61.5%) was positive for E.coli O157 by antigen detection test. The magnitude of the E.coli O157 diarrhoea in children is to be considered due to complications and high drug resistance and regular screening for this isolate is recommended, utilising Sorbitol MacConkey agar (SMAC) as a routine media.