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A Novel and Potentially Valuable Exposure Measure: Escherichia coli in Oral Cavity and its Association with Child DayCare Center Attendance
Journal of Tropical Pediatrics, 06/21/2012
Oliveira AM et al. – Exposure to the daycare center environment favored the potential risk of transmission of enteropathogens, as demonstrated by the presence of E. coli in saliva. The method proved to be easy to sample, non–invasive and feasible in young children. The findings suggest a novel and potentially valuable exposure measure.
- This study investigated the occurrence of Escherichia coli, an indicator of fecal contamination, in saliva samples from 141 children up to 36 months old, 53 not attending and 88 attending a child daycare center after exposure to a public daycare center and home environments.
- T wo samples from each child were collected on the same day at 07:00 and 15:00h and plated on MacConkey agar for identification.
- Samples E. coli negative in the morning and positive in the afternoon were statistically associated with the condition of the child attending daycare center.
