Diarrhoea among infants in a crowded area of Djakarta, Indonesia. A longitudinal study from birth to two years

Diarrhoeal diseases are common in Djakarta, Indonesia, especially among infants and young children. A study has been made of possible bacterial and parasitic causes of outbreaks in a group of 156 infants in a crowded area of the city. Before the study was complete, 60 infants had left the area and 30 had died; diarrhoea was probably the direct or indirect cause of 13 of the deaths.Diarrhoea was associated with pathogenic Escherichia coli in about 20% of the cases studied; other causes of diarrhoea were Shigella, less frequent, and rare among infants below the age of 6 months; Salmonella, insignificant; Giardia lamblia, common, but not usually associated with diarrhoea; Entamoeba histolytica and Isospora belli, relatively rare. The role of Trichuris trichiura was probably important, but was difficult to assess.Many diarrhoea cases were not associated with either pathogenic bacteria or parasites. Other potential causes, not considered in this study, include enteropathogenic virus infection, parenteral infections, faulty diet and malnutrition. Further investigation is considered desirable.