Purpose: The aim of this study was to investigate the presence of diarrheagenic Escherichia coli and antibiotic resistance in asymptomatic school-age children living in an area with defective environmental sanitation, comparing with children registered at a private school, both in the city of Osasco, Brazil.
Methods: Seventy-nine school-age children between 5 and 10 years living in a slum and 35 children who attended a private school of the same city were included in the study.
Results: DEC was found in 58% of the children living in the slum and in 17% of the control group (P=0.001). Resistance to at least one antimicrobial drug was found in 65% of DEC strains; resistant to two or more antimicrobial drugs was found in 46% of strains.
Conclusion: The high carriage status among the slum children point towards the widespread environment contamination in low socio-economic housing conditions, in conformance with the pediatric population at higher risk for developing DEC diarrhea.