Antimicrobial resistance of diarrheagenic Escherichia coli isolated from children under the age of 5 years from Ifakara, Tanzania.

Diarrhea caused by multidrug-resistant bacteria is an important public health problem among children in developing countries. The prevalence and antimicrobial susceptibility of diarrheagenic Escherichia coli in 346 children under 5 years of age in Ifakara, Tanzania, were studied. Thirty-eight percent of the cases of diarrhea were due to multiresistant enterotoxigenic E. coli, enteroaggregative E. coli, or enteropathogenic E. coli. Strains of all three E. coli categories showed high-level resistance to ampicillin, tetracycline, co-trimoxazole, and chloramphenicol but were highly susceptible to quinolones. Guidelines for appropriate use of antibiotics in developing countries need updating.