Abstract:
Introduction: diarrheal infections in young children
below five years and food animals are caused by
diarrheagenic Escherichia coli strains. The study
focused on understanding the association between
DEC pathotypes in children below five years and
food animals to establish the possibility of zoonotic
transmission. Methods: samples from 150 children
who presented with diarrhea at the Kisumu County
Hospital and 100 stool samples from food animals
were collected and processed using culture
methods. Molecular identification of the
pathotypes was assayed using a primer-specific
polymerase chain reaction that targeted the six
virulence genes related to the diarrheagenic
Escherichia coli pathotypes. Results: one hundred
and fifty-six study subjects (100 children samples
and 56 food animals) samples were positive for E.
coli polymerase chain reaction detection revealed
a prevalence of (23%) among children below
five years and a prevalence of (20%) among the
food
animals.
Children
samples
showed
Enteroaggregative Escherichia coli, having high
phenotypic frequency of (12%) followed by
Enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli, (5.3%) and
Enteropathogenic
Escherichia
least
being
mixed
(3.3%)
the
infections
Enteroaggregative/Enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli
and
Enteroaggregative/Enteropathogenic
Escherichia coli with (1.3%) respectively. The food
animals found in children homesteads were
detected to harbor pathogenic strains of E. coli.
