[Bacterial flora in the digestive tract during diarrhea in infants upon hospital admission and at the end of hospitalization].

The stools of 23 children aged from 14 days to 18 months were analysed (qualitatively and quantitatively) for some genera of bacteria which could be the cause of diarrhea. Feces were collected at the beginning and the end of hospitalisation. The results were evaluated and referred to five age subgroups and duration of hospitalization. The presence of potentially enteropathogenic bacteria was noted in 87 per cent of children in widely varying quantities. In the most numerous group of children the same bacteria were revealed at the beginning and at the end of hospitalization. The microorganisms were most frequently present at the moment of hospitalisation in newborn children. Complete elimination during stay in hospital occurred mainly in the youngest children, who did not acquire these bacteria during their stay in hospital. Colonisation with potentially pathogenic strains in hospital affected mainly children aged 7 to 12 months. EPEC prevailed among the strains isolated in both analyses.