[Isolation of Aeromonas hydrophila in diarrhea. Characterization of enterotoxinogenic strains and clinical relations].

Aeromonas hydrophila is isolated from diarrhoea specimens with increasing frequency. The interest in this organism at the present time is related to the fact that it can produce a number of toxins, in particular alpha and beta cytotoxic haemolysins, an enterotoxin and various enzymes. The authors determined the frequency of isolation of this organism and tested the haemolytic, cytotoxic and enterotoxic effects of culture filtrates in all of the stool specimens received in their laboratory over a period of 9 months. At the same time, the clinical context was defined in order to demonstrate a relation between the aptitude of the strains to produce toxins and the presence of diarrhoea. The frequency of isolation of A. hydrophila was 0.88 per cent, which corresponds to 67 strains. 38 strains presented a haemolytic and/or enterotoxic activity, i.e. 57 per cent of the strains isolated. In diarrhoeal stools, 67 per cent of the A. hydrophila isolated produced at least one of the toxins, while in the group of patients without diarrhoea, only 38 per cent of the strains isolated produced toxins. The results obtained reveal a statistically significant correlation between the production of cytotoxic haemolysin and the presence of diarrhoea. In contrast, there was no correlation between the production of enterotoxin and the presence of diarrhoea. Twenty of the 67 strains ware isolated from children under the age of 2 years. In 40 per cent of cases, no other aetiology could be found for the diarrhoea, apart from the isolation of A. hydrophila.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)