Molecular detection of Enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli Toxins and Colonization Factors from Diarrheic Children in Pediatric Teaching Hospital, Sulaymaniyah, Iraq

Enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (ETEC) is one well-established causative agent of diarrhea in the developing countries among young children. This prospective study was performed at Laboratories of University of Sulaimani (in Sulaymaniyah City/Iraq) from September to October 2021which aimed to determine the prevalence of ETEC among children and the most prevalence colonization factor (CFA/I) among ETEC. One hundred and twenty-five fresh stool samples were collected from hospitalized – children with diarrhea at Dr. Jamal Ahmed Rashid’s Pediatric Teaching Hospital. The collected samples were cultured on MacConkey and eosin methylene blue agar as selective and differential media for Gram- negative bacteria. Colonies were identified through Gram staining and biochemical tests including: Indole, methyl red, and catalase reaction test. Vitek-2 machine was depended to test some obtained isolates. Most of isolates (60%) showed positive results for E. coli – out of this percentage, 14 (18.66%) were positive for ETEC using polymerase chain reaction assay identifying stable and labile toxins (LTs). It was noticed that all of the ETEC isolates were stable toxin producer isolates whereas LT producer isolates were not identified. Colonization factor 5 (CS5) has been detected among three ETEC isolates (21.42%), meanwhile, 11 isolates (78.57%) have not expressed colonization factors at all.