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Treatment of enteropathogenic escherichiosis
Last reviewed: 06.07.2025
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Therapy for patients with enteropathogenic escherichiosis is based on the same principles as for other acute intestinal infections. Patients with severe and sometimes moderate forms requiring infusion therapy are subject to mandatory hospitalization. Children with mild forms are treated at home. Children are also hospitalized according to epidemiological indications, newborns and those with severe concomitant diseases or complications.
The diet is prescribed taking into account the child's age, his feeding before the disease, the severity and period of the infectious process. The general principles of the diet are the same as for other acute intestinal infections. It should only be taken into account that EPE mainly affects the small intestine, so the disturbances in the processes of digestion and assimilation of food products are especially severe. Nevertheless, even with enteropathogenic escherichiosis, it is necessary to increase the volume of food quite vigorously (after appropriate unloading) and introduce new foods into the diet, but as the functional state of the gastrointestinal tract is restored, without allowing digestion to fail.
Pathogenetic treatment of enteropathogenic escherichiosis involves urgent detoxification and restoration of hemodynamics by oral rehydration or intravenous infusion of missing amounts of fluid, electrolytes (1.5% reamberin solution) and other components in severe forms of the disease.
Of the etiotropic treatments for severe forms of the disease, especially with complications of bacterial origin (otitis, pneumonia, etc.), antibiotics or chemotherapy drugs are prescribed. Antibiotic therapy is also indicated for moderate forms in newborns and children in the first months of life due to the risk of generalization of the process. Polymyxin M, gentamicin, carbenicillin, cephalosporins, as well as the chemotherapy drug nifuroxazide (ersefuril) are prescribed.
In mild forms of enteropathogenic escherichiosis, antibiotics are not advisable. In these cases, the treatment regimen includes:
- rational nutrition;
- oral rehydration (maintenance therapy);
- enzyme preparations: abomin, festal, micrazyme, pancreatin (pancitrate, creon), etc.;
- symptomatic and bacterial drugs: acipol, bifistim, bifidumbacterin, lactobacterin, enterol, sporobacterin, biosporin, etc.;
- enterosorbents (filtrum-STI, smecta, etc.).
If intestinal dysfunction persists after a 5-7-day course of antibacterial therapy, the use of eubiotics in high doses (bifido-, lactobacterin, acipol, bifistim, etc.) for 1-2 weeks, enzymes and stimulating therapy is indicated to restore normal intestinal flora (as in the case of confirmed intestinal dysbacteriosis). A good effect is achieved by using the combined prebiotic lactofiltrum for 2-3 weeks, consisting of an enterosorbent and ketosaccharide and stimulating the growth of one's own microflora.