Acute infective diarrhoea

Gentamicin in Esch. coli gastroenteritis

A study has been made of 90 Cape Town infants who presented with acute gastroenteritis and from whose stools enteropathic Escherichia coli were isolated. These children were treated with combined oral and parenteral gentamicin. On this regimen 92% of the infants recovered rapidly and only one died.

A survey of infantile gastroenteritis

In 1967 we admitted 339 cases of infantile gastroenteritis; one-third of these were dehydrated, and in this group the commonest biochemical abnormality found was hypernatraemia, sometimes with metabolic acidosis. A higher incidence of dehydration was found in the patients who had received oral glucose fluids before admission. EnteropathicEscherichia coliwere isolated from the faeces of 16% of the cases. Associated infections, especially of the respiratory tract, were common. Treatment was aimed at the restoration of fluid and electrolyte balance. Usually this was achieved with oral fluids, though intravenous fluids were used in the most severely dehydrated cases. Recovery was complete in 320 cases and a further 14 cases were discharged as carriers of enteropathicE. coli. There were five deaths (1.5%) in the series; three occurred immediately after admission.