[The need for revision of the bacteriological criteria of the etiological significance of diarrheogenic Escherichia strains in the diagnosis of acute intestinal infections].

Different E. coli of 0-groups, enteropathogenic (EPEC), enteroinvasive, enterotoxigenic (ETEC) and diarrheogenic in sporadic child diarrhea (DESCD), regarded as the causative agents of enteric infections, were detected in 70-80% of cases (1,146 E.coli carriers) in the feces of child and adult patients with acute enteric infections (AEI) irrespective of their age; in 35% of cases the same patient had a combination of two or more varieties of EPEC, ETEC or DESCD. Only EPE were excreted by 3.5-11.3% of patients, depending on their age; only ETEC were excreted by 1.7-3.4% of patients and only DESCD, by 23.1-32.8%. In 30-40% of cases diarrheogenic E.coli of the corresponding 0-groups were isolated as monocultures. The complex of bacteriological criteria, serving as the basis for the diagnostics of AEI (the necessity of the quantitative and qualitative characterization of the contamination of the seed material, E.coli serological labeling, the determination of E.coli pathogenicity factors) is discussed.