Abstract:OBJECTIVE: To study the distribution and antibiotic resistance of the isolated pathogens from children with infectious diarrhea in Guangzhou. METHODS: The fecal samples of 2 409 children with infectious diarrhea between January 2006 and December 2007 were collected and cultured. Pathogenic bacterium were isolated and identified by biochemical and serological methods. The antibiotic susceptibilities were tested by the Kirby-Bauer method. RESULTS: A total of 448 isolates of pathogenic bacterium (18.6%) were obtained, including Shigella (n=159), enteropathogenic Escherichia coli (n=141), Salmonella (n=76), Vibrion (n=11), fungus (n=41), and C jejuni (n=20). All of isolates of the three major pathogenic bacterium, Shigella, enteropathogenic Escherichia coli and Salmonella, were susceptive to imipenem and less than 10% of the isolates were resistant to the third generation cephalosporins and β-lactamase inhibitors. However, the isolates showed a high resistance to ampicillin and sulfamethoxazole/trimethoprim (>75%). CONCLUSIONS: Shigella, enteropathogenic Escherichia coli and Salmonella were major pathogenic bacterium of diarrhea in children from Guangzhou. The major isolates were susceptive to imipenem, the third generation cephalosporins and βlactamase inhibitors, but were resistant to ampicillin and sulfamethoxazole/trimethoprim.[Chin J Contemp Pediatr, 2009, 11 (2):107-109]