Unexplained diarrhoea in HIV-1 infected individuals

Oude Munnink, Bas B; Canuti, Marta; Deijs, Martin; de Vries, Michel; Jebbink, Maarten F; Rebers, Sjoerd; Molenkamp, Richard; van Hemert, Formijn J; Chung, Kevin; Cotten, Matthew; Snijders, Fransje; Sol, Cees JA; van der Hoek, Lia

Patients were asked to complete a questionnaire about the frequency and consistency of their stools during the week before the stool was collected. The definition of diarrhoea was loose or watery stool at least 3 times a day during the week prior to faeces collection (in accordance with the WHO guidelines for diarrhoea). In addition, patients were asked for the occurrence of additional symptoms and use of medication that might affect the consistency of stool. Hospital charts of patients were reviewed for additional clinical data and the local medical ethical committee of the AMC approved the study. Demographical data of our study population are shown in Table 1 . Cultures were performed less than 4 hours after the specimen was collected (see below). Blood for serum storage and blood for CD4 cell count measurements were collected at the same date as stool collection. Stool samples were suspended in broth (1:3 dilution, Oxoid nutrient broth no.2, pH 7.5 and 500 IU penicillin per ml, 3 μg amphotericin B per ml). Serum and stool suspensions were stored at −80°C until further use.