Table 3.

Clinical characteristics of the diarrheal episodes with or without a diarrheagenic Escherichia coli (DEC) isolated from human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected children

	All children with diarrhea (N = 70) n/N (%)	Children with diarrhea and DEC (N = 13) n/N (%)	Children with diarrhea without DEC (N = 57) n/N (%)
Duration of diarrhea, days
Mean ± SD	9 ± 14	12 ± 24	9 ± 11
Median (range)	5 (2–90)	5 (2–90)	5 (2–67)
Persistent diarrhea	13/70 (19)	1/13 (8)	12/57 (21)
Blood in the stools	2/70 (3)	0/13 (0)	2/57 (4)
Fever	28/70 (40)	7/13 (54)	21/57 (37)
Vomiting	15/70 (21)	4/13 (31)	11/57 (19)
Moderate and severe dehydration	23/70 (33)	6/13 (46)	17/57 (30)
Severe immunosuppresion*	37/70 (53)	7/13 (54)	30/57 (53)
VL†, > 400 RNA copies/mL	61/69 (88)	9/12 (75)	52/57 (91)

^*Based on CD4 cells by age (CDC, 1994).²⁴

^†VL = viral load.