Information network and data base in clinical diagnosis and bacterial sensibility surveillance – a special requirement in acute diarrhoea control and monitoring into a regional area SCARNECIU CAMELIA MARIA-ELENA COCUZ SCARNECIU IOAN ROXANA MICLAUS Transilvania University of Brasov, ROMANIA maria_elenacocuz@yahoo.com Abstract: Worldwide acute diarrhoea constitutes a major cause of morbidity and mortality. Acute diarrhoea is usually caused by infection, with viruses, bacteria, parasites. Bacteria involved in acute diarrhoea may be detected by culture from the stool of ill person. For a correct and quick treatment of patients with acute diarrhoea, is very useful, to investigate the resistance/susceptibility to antibiotics of the pathogen bacteria isolates. Testing the susceptibility to antibiotics needs time (2-3 days) and can delay the beginning of the treatment. The aim of our work was to argue, based on medical evidences, the necessity of establishment of a unique electronic medical data base, containing daily updated information about the resistance to antibiotics of pathogen germs, isolated from patients with acute diarrhoea. All medical services (hospitals, policlinics, laboratories) involved in etiological diagnosis of the diarrhoea will permanent fill in medical information into data base. The information could be permanently accessed through networks by all users being specialists in different medical fields. Key Words: acute diarrhoea, information network, data base 1. Introduction Acute diarrhoea is defined as the abrupt onset of abnormally high fluid content in the stool, more than normal value. This situation implies a greater number of stools, which can range from 4-5 to more than 20 times per day [7, 19]. Worldwide acute diarrhoea constitutes a major cause of morbidity and mortality, especially among the children, older people and high-risk patients (immuno- compromised). [4, 19]. It is estimated that each year adults from United States experience 99 million episodes of acute diarrhoea, resulting in about 8 million physician visits and more than 250.000 hospital admissions [19]. In developing countries an average of 3 episodes per child per year in children younger than 5 years is reported; some areas report 6-8 episodes [7]. Acute diarrhoea disease is the second leading cause of death in children under 5 years old. Globally there are about 2 billion cases of diarrhoea disease every year [2]. Acute diarrhoea is usually caused by infection, with viruses (rotavirus, calicivirus, astrovirus, entericvirus), bacteria (Campylobacter jejuni, Salmonella, E. coli, Shigella, Yersinia enterocolitica), parasites [7, 8]. Diarrhoea may be mild or severe. The most common complications of acute diarrhoea are dehydration and electrolyte imbalances, principal causes of morbidity and mortality [5, 7]. E.coli, Salmonella, Shigella, Campylobacter jejuni, Yersinis may be detected by isolation from the faeces of ill persons, before treatment with antimicrobials [14]. Performance of routine culture is critical for antibiotics resistance testing [19]. Antimicrobial therapy is indicated for nonviral diarrhoea, in traveler’s diarrhoea, shigellosis, campylo- bacteriosis and in invasive clinical forms [7, 16]. In choosing the appropriate antimicrobial agent for therapy the susceptibility to antibiotics of infecting organism must be known [11]. Treatment recommendations need to be updated frequently as antibiotic resistance emerges [16]. Testing the susceptibility to antibiotics needs time (2-3 days) and can delay the beginning of the treatment [3, 12]. Antibiotic resistance is the type of drug resistance where a micro-organism is able to survive to exposure to an antibiotic. The widespread use of antibiotics both inside and outside of medicine is playing a significant role in the emergence of resistant bacteria. Some of resistant bacteria in animals are transmitted to humans, via meat or other food of animal origin or through direct contact with farm animals [20]. The emergence of multidrug- resistant Salmonella is probably related to agricultural uses of antimicrobials [14]. Antibiotic resistance is a growing problem for enterical bacterial pathogens. Because bacteria involved in acute diarrhoea (Campylobacter, Salmonella, Shigella, Yersinia) are increasingly resistant to multiple antibiotics the practi- tioner must be familiar with the local resistance pattern of bacteria to treat appropriately the disease [6, 10]. Salmonella gastroenteritis is usually a self-limited ADVANCES in MATHEMATICAL and COMPUTATIONAL METHODS ISSN: 1792-6114 248 ISBN: 978-960-474-243-1