Escherichia coli isolates from blood or cere-brospinal fluid of 135 children were characterized for serotype, adhesin and hemolysin production and compared with 94 fecal isolates from healthy children. Capsular type K1, sero-group O18 and rough-type lipopolysaccharide were predominant in neonatal infections (49, 16 and 16percnt;, respectively) and also in meningitis and septicemia of infants from 7 days to 23 months of age (39, 17 and 13percnt;). S-fimbriated strains were common in neonatal infections (23percnt;) but rare (le;5percnt;) in all other clinical groups. Pyelonephritis was the most common diagnosis in infants (49 of 72); it was associated with P-fimbriation (63percnt;); serogroups O1, O2, O4, O6 or O7 (41percnt;), and hemolysin production (37percnt;). Invasive infections in older children (age ge;2 years) were associated with predisposing factors and were caused by strains resembling fecal isolates; the only exception was hemolysin production which was detected in 40percnt; of the disease but only 9percnt; of the fecal isolates. Eight O:K:H serotypes were associated with invasive infections; they usually had K1 or K5 capsule and either P, S or type 1C fimbriae.
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