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. 2016 Dec 7;95(6):1330-1337.
doi: 10.4269/ajtmh.16-0464. Epub 2016 Oct 10.

Multiplex Polymerase Chain Reaction for Detection of Gastrointestinal Pathogens in Migrant Workers in Qatar

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Multiplex Polymerase Chain Reaction for Detection of Gastrointestinal Pathogens in Migrant Workers in Qatar

John M Humphrey et al. Am J Trop Med Hyg. .

Abstract

The causes of infectious diarrhea among the migrant worker population in Qatar are not well understood. We conducted a prospective observational study to understand the demographic and clinical characteristics and infectious causes of diarrhea among migrant workers in Doha, Qatar. A total of 126 male workers presenting to the Qatar Red Crescent Worker's Health Center outpatient clinic or emergency department were studied over a 5-month period in 2015-2016. Epidemiologic surveys were administered to all subjects and the prevalence of 22 different stool pathogens was determined using multiplex polymerase chain reaction (PCR) (FilmArray® Gastrointestinal PCR). A target pathogen was identified in 62.7% of subjects. Enteropathogenic Escherichia coli was the most prevalent pathogen and was detected in 24.6% of subjects, followed by Salmonella (22.2%), enteroaggregative E. coli (15.1%), Giardia lamblia (9.5%), and enterotoxigenic E. coli (8.7%). Multiple pathogens were identified in 49.3% of positive stool samples. In a multivariable analysis, the presence of a heart rate ≥ 90 (adjusted odds ratio [OR] = 3.7, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.4-10.0) and > 5 fecal leukocytes/high-power field (adjusted OR = 2.8, 95% CI = 1.2-7.0) were significant predictors of detecting an acute inflammatory pathogen by PCR. Use of multiplex PCR enabled the detection of gastrointestinal pathogens in a high proportion of cases, illustrating the utility of this diagnostic tool in epidemiologic studies of infectious diarrhea.

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Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
Frequency of detection and co-detection of potential pathogens among study subjects. Legend: Black bars represent total frequency of detection for each pathogen and grey bars represent frequency of co-detection in which one or more other pathogens were detected in the same stool sample. EAEC = enteroaggregative E. coli; EIEC = enteroinvasive E. coli; EPEC = enteropathogenic E. coli; ETEC = enterotoxigenic E. coli; STEC = Shiga-like toxin-producing E. coli.

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