TABLE 1.

Prevalence of SF STEC O157:H⁻ isolates in patients with sporadic cases of HUS and sporadic cases of diarrhea in Germany from 1994 to 2000

Yeara	Patients with HUSb				Patients with diarrheae				Reference or source
	No. of patients	No. of STEC O157 isolates		Isolation rate of SF STEC O157 from patientsd	No. of patients	No. of STEC O157 isolates		Isolation rate of SF STEC O157 from patientsd
		Total	SF (%)c			Total	SF (%)c
1994–1995	347	69	11 (15.9)	11/347 (3.2)	943	19	4 (21.0)	4/943 (0.4)	10, 29
1996	96	42	17 (40.5)	17/96 (17.7)	NAf	33	7 (21.2)	NA	11
1997	101	45	6 (13.3)	6/101 (5.9)	NA	27	2 (7.4)	NA	12
1998	91	30	6 (20.0)	6/91 (6.6)	389	12	2 (16.7)	2/389 (0.5)	Karch, unpublished
1999	82	27	5 (18.5)	5/82 (6.1)	202	12	3 (25.0)	3/202 (1.5)	Karch, unpublished
2000	140	34	5 (14.7)	5/140 (3.6)	347	9	2 (22.2)	2/347 (0.6)	Karch, unpublished

^aThe data from 1994 to 1997 are from studies performed in collaboration by the Institute for Hygiene and Microbiology, University of Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany, the National Reference Center for Salmonellae and Other Bacterial Enteric Pathogens, Hamburg, Germany, and the Robert Koch Institute, Wernigerode, Germany. The data from 1998 to 2000 were obtained from the Institute for Hygiene and Microbiology, University of Würzburg. 

^bChildren under 15 years of age hospitalized for HUS at different pediatric centers throughout Germany. 

^cThe percentage values in parentheses represent the relative frequencies of SF STEC O157:H⁻ isolates among all STEC O157 isolates from the respective years. 

^dNumber of SF STEC O157:H⁻ isolates per number of patients (%). 

^eThe majority of patients with diarrhea were hospitalized children under 16 years of age who suffered from painful nonbloody diarrhea. 

^fNA, data not available.