Enteropathogens associated with diarrhea among military personnel during Operation Bright Star 96, in Alexandria, Egypt.

This study investigated the microbial causes of diarrheal disease among U.S. troops deployed near Alexandria, Egypt, during October 1995. Bacterial causes associated with 19 cases of diarrhea included: enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (ETEC), 42% (21% heat-stable, 11% heat-labile, and 11% heat-stable/ heat-labile producers); enteropathogenic E. coli (5.3%); and enteroadherent E. coli (42%). Four cases of diarrhea were associated with enteroaggregative E. coli based on probe analysis for enteroaggregative heat-stable enterotoxin 1. Protozoan causes included; Entamoeba histolytica (11%), E. hartmanni (5%), E. nana (5%), Blastocystis hominis (5%), Chilomastix mesnili (11%), Dientamoeba fragilis (5%), Entamoeba coli (5%), and Cryptosporidium (5%). Shigella, Aeromonas, Plesiomonas, Vibrio, Campylobacter, and Salmonella were not detected. Of the eight ETEC cases, one was colonization factor antigen (CFA)/I only, one was both CFA/I and CFA/III, three were CFA/II, two were CFA/IV, and two were CFA-negative. Antibiograms of the ETEC and enteroadherent E. coli strains showed that all isolates were susceptible to norfloxacin, ciprofloxacin, and nalidixic acid but resistant to ampicillin, tetracycline, chloramphenicol, and sulfamethoxazole.