Q: I have a 9 months old daughter. A month ago a stool culture test was done as advised by the doctor and infection by E. coli bacteria was found. The doctor prescribed an antibiotic and she recovered. Now again after a month, her stool has been found infected by E. coli bacteria. My question is, why was her stool found infected with E. coli bacteria twice in one month? What are the causes and how can I prevent it?

A:Most of the subtypes of E. coli are normal flora in the stool. You don't need to chase the organism in the stool and treat it; treat the patient. If the patient is asymptomatic, don't bother about testing stool and either way E. coli could be normal flora as mentioned.