Stool cyclic AMP in diarrhoea due to different casuative organisms

Abstract

Cyclic adenosine 3, 5'- monophosphate (cAMP) was determined in stools of 24 patients at Dhaka, Bangladesh (December 1980-June 1982), with acute watery diarrhoea caused by Vibrio cholerae. Escherichia coli producing heat-labile enteratoxins (LT) and/or heat-stable toxin (ST), or rotavirus, and also in lavage fluid from healthy controls who had consumed an excess of an isotonic salt solution. Levels of cAMP were significantly higher (p< .05) in the stools of patients with diarrhoea due to V. cholerae, LT/ST £ coli or rotavirus, compared to ST-onty £ coli or intestinal lavage fluid of controls. The concentration of cAMP in 16 bacteriological cultures of V. cholerae was also examined and found to be significantly lower (p<,001) than that found in stools of the cholera patients but higher than in the lavage fluid of volunteers. The results suggest that the level of cAMP in stool may be used as an indication of cAMP-mediated diarrhoea, and could also suggest a role of cAMP in rotavirus diarrhoea