Aeromonas-associated gastroenteritis in Egypt.

Aeromonas spp. including A. hydrophila, A. sobria, and A. caviae, were recovered from the feces of 88% of diarrheic Egyptian children. In contrast, only 45% of nondiarrheic children contained Aeromonas spp. A probable source of Aeromonas spp. is from drinking water inasmuch as nine out of ten samples analysed from the district of Cairo in which the children resided tested positive for Aeromonas spp. Enterotoxigenicity of the isolates from various sources was tested. 33% of the diarrheic samples produced enterotoxin whereas 47% of the nondiarrheic and 56% of the tap water strains produced enterotoxin.