Childhood bacterial diarrhoea in a regional hospital in Saudi Arabia: clinico-aetiological features.

Over a one-year period, 210 paediatric patients, who were admitted with acute diarrhoea to a regional hospital in the south-western region of Saudi Arabia, were retrospectively reviewed for bacterial enteropathogens. Bacterial pathogens were isolated from 66 (31.4%) patients, with Shigella being the most common (17.1%), followed by Salmonella (10.5%), and enteropathogenic Escherichia coli (EPEC) (3.8%). Major clinical findings associated with bacterial diarrhoea are similar to those reported before. Our results suggest that bacterial pathogens constitute a major cause of acute childhood diarrhoea in hospitalized children in Al-Baha province. Further prospective community based studies are needed to identify the pattern and risk factors of acute childhood diarrhoea in the region.