Surveillance of patients attending a diarrhoeal disease hospital in Bangladesh

In October 1979 a surveillance system was set up at the International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh, Hospital at Dacca to study a 4% systematic sample of the 100 000 patients with diarrhoea who come to the hospital for care each year. From December 1979 to November 1980 inclusive, 3550 patients were studied. A recognised pathogenic organism was identified for 66% of patients screened for all pathogens, one-third of whom had a mixed infection with two or more agents. Enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli was the most common enteropathogen detected in all age groups (detection rate 20%), followed by rotavirus (19%), Campylobacter jejuni (14%), and Shigella (12%). Infants and young children (up to 5 years) were most often infected with rotavirus,…