Background: Globally, infectious diarrhea (also known as gastroenteritis) estimated as a major public health concern. Fortunately, such diseases are self-limiting, but the diagnosis of the infecting microbe is important for the prevention and control of the disease (food-borne disease). Infectious diarrhea is a major cause of childhood mortality, with estimated 1.9 and 5.6 million deaths yearly. In the last few decades, several enteric pathogens including bacteria (such as, Campylobacter spp., Escherichia coli, Salmonella and Shigella), viruses (e.g., norovirus, adenovirus, and astrovirus), and parasites (e.g., Cryptosporidium spp.) have been identified as important causes of diarrhea in humans, particularly in children. However, these pathogens either have not yet or have rarely been reported from pediatric diarrhea in Libya and other countries of the North Africa region. Objectives: The aim of this study was to assess the presence of bacterial agents of enteric disease in the study area. Methods: Stool samples collected from three hundred Libyan children with diarrhea, attending to Benghazi pediatric hospital in Benghazi, were examined for bacterial agents, the specimens were cultured and antibiotic sensitivity done using standard microbiological techniques. The study was carried out between April 2016- and April 2017. Results: Of the 300 examined stool samples, Salmonella was detected in 13 (4.3%). gender (53.85%) were from male the remaining (46.15%) were from female .The majority of isolates (84.6%) were from patients less than 5 years old. All isolates were in the summer season. Antibiotic resistance was low in our study. All isolates were sensitive to nalidixic acid, ciprofloxacin and chloramphenicol. The result reveals statistically significant association between diarrhea and patients' age, seasonal variation and Antibiotic sensitivity. Conclusion: The present work has clearly demonstrated that Salmonella is the causative agents of diarrhea. In the future, studies are needed on larger groups of patients from major cities in Libya to determine the exact role of these bacteria in children diarrhea in the country.

Keywords: Bacterial agents, Pathogens, Gastrointestinal tract, Infectious diarrhea, Libyan children.

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