Ehsan Moghanloo - Department of Microbiology and Immunology, School of Medicine, Kashan University of Medical Sciences, Kashan, Iran.
Ahmad Khorshidi - Department of Microbiology and Immunology, School of Medicine, Kashan University of Medical Sciences, Kashan, Iran.
Parisa Badameh - Department of Microbiology, College of Basic Science and Biology, Varamin Pishva Branch, Islamic Azad University Varamin, Iran.
Ali Ghadirian Abarghuei - Medical Student of Kashan University of Medical Sciences, Kashan, Iran.
Mehdi Valipour - Department of Microbiology and Immunology, School of Medicine, Kashan University of Medical Sciences, Kashan, Iran.
Hossein Akbari - Department of Biostatistics and Public Health, School of Public Health, Kashan University of Medical Sciences, Kashan, Iran.

Background: Diarrhea is an important cause of morbidity and mortality, particularly in developing countries. Enteric gram-negative bacteria, especially Shigella, Salmonella, Escherichia, and Campylobacter plays a key role in the occurrence of diarrhea. The present study aimed to determine the prevalence and importance of four bacterial genera in the incidence of diarrhea in Shahid Beheshti Hospital in Kashan, Iran. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted on ۵۲۸ diarrheal stool samples during March ۲۰۱۵-February ۲۰۱۷. The samples were collected for the isolation of the bacterial agents to appropriate selective and differential culture media. Laboratory diagnosis was performed using proper bacteriological and serological tests. Results: Among ۵۲۸ stool samples, ۳۸.۶% of the specimens belonged to women, and ۶۱.۴% belonged to men. In total, ۲۳۳ specimens (۴۴.۱%) were positive for the mentioned bacteria. In ۹۸ (۱۸.۵%) and ۱۵ cases (۲.۸%), Shigella spp. and Campylobacter spp. had the highest and lowest frequency, respectively. Conclusion: Shigellosis has been reported to be more prevalent in developing and industrialized countries. Our findings and similar studies in this regard have denoted the epidemiological patterns of shigellosis in some regions in Iran toward the epidemiological pattern of the disease in industrialized countries.

Campylobacter, Escherichia, Infectious diarrhea, Shigella, Salmonella