Bacterial Etiology of Acute Diarrhea in Vietnamese Children Under Five: A Cross-Sectional Study Using Real-time Polymerase Chain Reaction

Background and aim

Bacterial acute diarrhea remain a significant health concern in Vietnam, necessitating further research on infection prevalence and clinical characteristics in pediatric patients. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of bacterial pathogens using real-time polymerase chain reaction and to describe clinical and paraclinical characteristics associated with bacterial infections.

Methods

This cross-sectional study was conducted on 271 children diagnosed with acute diarrhea at Can Tho Children's Hospital between November 2022 and July 2023.

Results

Bacterial pathogens were identified in 45.4% of cases, with Escherichia coli (18.5%) being the most prevalent, followed by Salmonella sp. (10.7%) and Clostridium difficile (8.5%). E. coli infection was significantly associated with fever (p=0.012), while Salmonella sp. was linked to vomiting (p=0.004) and loose watery stools (p=0.008); Vibrio cholerae infection showed a significant correlation with dehydration (p=0.028). Additionally, C. difficile infections were associated with a higher white blood cell count compared to the uninfected group (p=0.017).

Conclusions

These clinical and paraclinical associations may aid in the early suspicion of bacterial etiology in the absence of microbiological testing, thereby facilitating timely diagnosis and management.

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