Escherichiosis in children: causes, symptoms, diagnosis, treatment

Escherichiosis is an acute infectious disease, mainly in young children, caused by various serovars of pathogenic Escherichia coli with the localization of the pathological process in the gastrointestinal tract, the development of infectious-toxic and diarrheal syndromes, less often with damage to other organs or generalization of the process up to sepsis.

ICD-10 code

• A04.0 Enteropathogenic infection caused by Escherichia coli.
• A04.1 Enterotoxigenic infection caused by Escherichia coli.
• A04.2 Enteroinvasive Escherichia coli infection.
• A04.3 Enterohemorrhagic infection caused by Escherichia coli.
• A04.4 Other intestinal infections caused by Escherichia coli.

Escherichia coli are mobile (have peritrichous flagella) gram-negative rods, do not form spores, facultative anaerobes. They grow well on ordinary nutrient media. Pathogenic and non-pathogenic Escherichia coli are indistinguishable in morphological and cultural properties. Enteropathogenic strains differ from "ordinary" ones only in enzymatic properties, antigen composition, sensitivity to bacteriophages and colicins. degree of antagonistic activity and pathogenicity.

Depending on the presence of certain pathogenicity factors (adhesiveness, colicinogenicity, invasiveness, ability to form exotoxins, etc.). antigen structure, all Escherichia coli. causing diseases in humans. are conventionally divided into enteropathogenic (EPE), enteroinvasive (EIE) and enterotoxigenic (ETE). Diseases caused by each group of Escherichia. have significant clinical and epidemiological features, so it is advisable to consider enteropathogenic, enteroinvasive and enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli separately. There is a proposal to also distinguish enteroadherent and enterohemorrhagic groups of Escherichia.

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