Acute Diarrhea and Gastrointestinal Pathogens in Diarrheal Patients at Ramathibodi Hospital, Thailand
Acute Diarrhea and Gastrointestinal Pathogens in Patients at Ramathibodi Hospital, Thailand
Keywords:
Gastrointestinal pathogens, Diarrhea, Co-infection of gastrointestinal pathogensAbstract
Gastrointestinal pathogens are major causes of morbidity and mortality worldwide. Acute diarrhea is a significant public health issue frequently encountered in Thailand. The Data were analyzed from results of laboratory tests for diarrhea-causing pathogens at the Virology Laboratory, Department of Pathology, Faculty of Medicine Ramathibodi Hospital, Thailand, from January 1, 2015, to December 31, 2021. Cases were categorized by gender, age, type of specimens, and the period of the COVID-19 pandemic during which they were collected. Among 1,496 patients with acute diarrhea, 29.41% were found to be positive for gastrointestinal pathogens. The primary causative agents included bacteria (48.41%), viruses (41.36%), and parasites (2.27%). The five most frequently identified pathogens were Salmonella spp. (20.50%), Norovirus (18.96%), Rotavirus A (16.63%), Clostridium difficile (12.38%), and Escherichia coli (10.06%). The proportion of positive cases was significantly higher before the COVID-19 pandemic than during the pandemic (p < 0.001, OR = 1.79, 95% CI: 1.38, 2.31). The highest detection rate was observed among school-aged children (41.35%), who also had a significantly increased risk of infection (p = 0.001, OR = 2.2, 95% CI = 1.39, 3.49), as did toddlers (p = 0.022, OR = 1.56, 95% CI = 1.07, 2.29). These findings indicated that gastrointestinal pathogen infections were most prevalent among children, particularly school-aged children and toddlers. A decline in detection rates was observed during the COVID-19 pandemic, which may be attributed to the public health preventive measures implemented during that period. This information may support future planning for surveillance and control of diarrheal diseases in high-risk groups.
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