Simultaneous Gastrointestinal Infections in Children and Adolescents
Abstract:
Simultaneous infections were detected in the gastrointestinal tract of children and adolescents presenting with gastritis, duodenitis and/or colitis. Eighty-one consecutive patients presented with gastrointestinal complaints including abdominal pain (52/81), blood in the stool (16/81), gastroesophageal reflux (4/81), Celiac disease (3/81), Crohn’s disease (3/81), duodenal ulcer, (2/81) and failure to thrive (1/81). Endoscopy confirmed the diagnoses of celiac disease and Crohn’s disease, and assessed the gastrointestinal mucosa for inflammation. Biopsies were analyzed for Borrelia burgdorferi, Bartonella spp, Mycoplasma fermentans, and Helicobacter pylori. Pathogens were either absent (n = 26, 33%) or were detected as single (n = 30, 37%), double (n = 19, 24%), or triple infections (n = 6, 8%) associated with gastritis and duodenitis or colitis at the site of the biopsy.