EnteroaggregativeEscherichia coliAs a Possible Cause of Diarrhea in an HIV-Infected Patient

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Abstract
Chronic diarrhea is being recognized with increasing frequency in patients with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection, and it contributes to morbidity in this population. Up to 30 percent of patients with this problem have no identifiable pathogen even after intensive evaluation.1 In an attempt to identify another potential cause in pathogen-negative diarrhea, Kotler and Orenstein reported visualizing bacteria adherent to a colonic-biopsy specimen from a 33-year-old man with AIDS, three months of unexplained diarrhea, and weight loss that responded to ciprofloxacin.2 These bacteria were not characterized further. Enteroaggregative Escherichia coli have been recognized as a cause of persistent diarrhea in children in the developing world and have recently been reported to be a potential cause of persistent diarrheal disease in HIV-infected children in Zaire.3,4 We report the presence of enteroaggregative E. coli in an adult patient with HIV and chronic unexplained diarrhea.

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