Prevalence of paediatric diarrhoea in Arba minch government health institutions, Southern Ethiopia and associated factors

Abstract Infectious diarrhoea is one of the leading causes of paediatric morbidity and mortality in developing countries like Ethiopia; several factors contribute to the worsening of condition. This study was aimed to determine the prevalence and associated factors of enteropathogens, and antimicrob...

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Main Authors: Matusal Mengistu, Melat Woldemariam, Aseer Manilal, Addis Aklilu, Tsegaye Yohannes, Akbar Idhayadhulla, Hissah Abdulrahman Alodaini
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Nature Portfolio 2025-08-01
Series:Scientific Reports
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Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-16297-7
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author Matusal Mengistu
Melat Woldemariam
Aseer Manilal
Addis Aklilu
Tsegaye Yohannes
Akbar Idhayadhulla
Hissah Abdulrahman Alodaini
author_facet Matusal Mengistu
Melat Woldemariam
Aseer Manilal
Addis Aklilu
Tsegaye Yohannes
Akbar Idhayadhulla
Hissah Abdulrahman Alodaini
author_sort Matusal Mengistu
collection DOAJ
description Abstract Infectious diarrhoea is one of the leading causes of paediatric morbidity and mortality in developing countries like Ethiopia; several factors contribute to the worsening of condition. This study was aimed to determine the prevalence and associated factors of enteropathogens, and antimicrobial susceptibility patterns of enterobacteria among paediatric patients attending four selected government health institutions in Arba Minch, southern Ethiopia. The study materials were stool samples collected from 367 paediatric patients with acute diarrhoea, which were then inoculated onto MacConkey agar, xylose lysine deoxycholate agar, and Campylobacter selective media for the isolation of enteric bacteria. Catalase, oxidase, indole, hydrogen sulfide, citrate, urease, and carbohydrate fermentation tests were performed for the phenotypic identification of the recovered isolates. The antibiotic susceptibilities of enterobacteria were determined via the Kirby-Bauer disc diffusion method. The wet mount and formol-ether concentration techniques were also used to identify enteroparasites. Descriptive and inferential statistical analyses were done using SPSS, and P-values ≤ 0.05 were considered statistically significant. Among 367 paediatric patients, 39.8% (n = 146) were tested positive for any one of the entero-pathogens, constituting 37.6% (n = 138) entero-parasites and the rest 2.2% (n = 8) corresponded to enterobacteria; Giardia lamblia (17.9%, n = 66) and Entamoeba histolytica (14.4%, n = 42) were predominant among the former; Shigella dysenteriae (1.1%, n = 4), followed by Salmonella Typhimurium and Campylobacter jejuni/coli (0.55%, n = 2 each), were the dominant bacteria. Invariably, all isolates were 100% susceptible to ciprofloxacin. The occurrence of bloody diarrhoea [(AOR = 3.01, 95% CI (1.65–5.48)] and having illiterate parents [(AOR = 5.46, 95% CI (1.79–16.66)] were found to be statistically associated with the enteric infection. More than a fourth of the paediatric patients in the cohort were affected by enteropathogens; intestinal protozoans were the predominant group, highlighting a significant health concern that demands immediate attention. Besides, edifying the parents of paediatric patients about personal hygiene and sanitation practices would be the most important intervention strategy to emphasise.
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spelling doaj-art-5bb8b49e6ed04d968f470385f1fa69b12025-08-24T11:18:57ZengNature PortfolioScientific Reports2045-23222025-08-0115111210.1038/s41598-025-16297-7Prevalence of paediatric diarrhoea in Arba minch government health institutions, Southern Ethiopia and associated factorsMatusal Mengistu0Melat Woldemariam1Aseer Manilal2Addis Aklilu3Tsegaye Yohannes4Akbar Idhayadhulla5Hissah Abdulrahman Alodaini6Department of Medical Laboratory Science, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, Wachamo UniversityDepartment of Medical Laboratory Science, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, Arba Minch UniversityDepartment of Medical Laboratory Science, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, Arba Minch UniversityDepartment of Health Technology and Informatics, Faculty of Health and Social Sciences, The Hong Kong Polytechnic UniversityDepartment of Medical Laboratory Science, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, Arba Minch UniversityResearch Department of Chemistry, Nehru Memorial College (Affiliated to Bharathidasan University)Department of Botany and Microbiology, College of Science, King Saud UniversityAbstract Infectious diarrhoea is one of the leading causes of paediatric morbidity and mortality in developing countries like Ethiopia; several factors contribute to the worsening of condition. This study was aimed to determine the prevalence and associated factors of enteropathogens, and antimicrobial susceptibility patterns of enterobacteria among paediatric patients attending four selected government health institutions in Arba Minch, southern Ethiopia. The study materials were stool samples collected from 367 paediatric patients with acute diarrhoea, which were then inoculated onto MacConkey agar, xylose lysine deoxycholate agar, and Campylobacter selective media for the isolation of enteric bacteria. Catalase, oxidase, indole, hydrogen sulfide, citrate, urease, and carbohydrate fermentation tests were performed for the phenotypic identification of the recovered isolates. The antibiotic susceptibilities of enterobacteria were determined via the Kirby-Bauer disc diffusion method. The wet mount and formol-ether concentration techniques were also used to identify enteroparasites. Descriptive and inferential statistical analyses were done using SPSS, and P-values ≤ 0.05 were considered statistically significant. Among 367 paediatric patients, 39.8% (n = 146) were tested positive for any one of the entero-pathogens, constituting 37.6% (n = 138) entero-parasites and the rest 2.2% (n = 8) corresponded to enterobacteria; Giardia lamblia (17.9%, n = 66) and Entamoeba histolytica (14.4%, n = 42) were predominant among the former; Shigella dysenteriae (1.1%, n = 4), followed by Salmonella Typhimurium and Campylobacter jejuni/coli (0.55%, n = 2 each), were the dominant bacteria. Invariably, all isolates were 100% susceptible to ciprofloxacin. The occurrence of bloody diarrhoea [(AOR = 3.01, 95% CI (1.65–5.48)] and having illiterate parents [(AOR = 5.46, 95% CI (1.79–16.66)] were found to be statistically associated with the enteric infection. More than a fourth of the paediatric patients in the cohort were affected by enteropathogens; intestinal protozoans were the predominant group, highlighting a significant health concern that demands immediate attention. Besides, edifying the parents of paediatric patients about personal hygiene and sanitation practices would be the most important intervention strategy to emphasise.https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-16297-7Arba minchPaediatricsDiarrhoeaEnteropathogensEnteroparasites
spellingShingle Matusal Mengistu
Melat Woldemariam
Aseer Manilal
Addis Aklilu
Tsegaye Yohannes
Akbar Idhayadhulla
Hissah Abdulrahman Alodaini
Prevalence of paediatric diarrhoea in Arba minch government health institutions, Southern Ethiopia and associated factors
Scientific Reports
Arba minch
Paediatrics
Diarrhoea
Enteropathogens
Enteroparasites
title Prevalence of paediatric diarrhoea in Arba minch government health institutions, Southern Ethiopia and associated factors
title_full Prevalence of paediatric diarrhoea in Arba minch government health institutions, Southern Ethiopia and associated factors
title_fullStr Prevalence of paediatric diarrhoea in Arba minch government health institutions, Southern Ethiopia and associated factors
title_full_unstemmed Prevalence of paediatric diarrhoea in Arba minch government health institutions, Southern Ethiopia and associated factors
title_short Prevalence of paediatric diarrhoea in Arba minch government health institutions, Southern Ethiopia and associated factors
title_sort prevalence of paediatric diarrhoea in arba minch government health institutions southern ethiopia and associated factors
topic Arba minch
Paediatrics
Diarrhoea
Enteropathogens
Enteroparasites
url https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-16297-7
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