Abstract: Objective To observe the etiological detection and characteristics of children with diarrhea and provide reference for prevention and treatment of diarrhea in children. Methods The data of children with diarrhea treated in a hospital in Qionghai City from September 2018 to September 2020 were collected, and the fecal specimens of children were taken for bacterial identification, virus antigen monitoring and drug sensitivity test. Descriptive epidemiological analysis was used to analyze. Results A total of 1 059 children with diarrhea were included in the study. The proportion of boys （59.0%） was higher than that of girls （41.0%）, and the proportion of children aged 1-3 years was the highest （57.0%）. The incidence of diarrhea was higher in summer and autumn （63.2%）. The main clinical symptoms were increased stool frequency and thin stool. Some children were accompanied by vomiting and dehydration. Six hundred and seventeen cases of pathogen were detected, and the detection rate was 58.3%. There were statistically significant differences in the detection rate of pathogen among children with different ages and seasons （P<0.05 or P<0.01）. The detection rate of pathogen was higher in children aged 1-3 years （61.4%） and in summer （64.0%）. A total of 793 strains of pathogens were detected, including 421 strains of viruses （53.1%） and 372 strains of bacteria （46.9%）. Rotavirus （27.2%） and Calicivirus （12.9%） were the main viral pathogens, and Salmonella （19.8%） and Shigella （13.9%） were the main bacterial pathogens. Salmonella and Shigella had higher resistance to ampicillin, cefazolin and penicillin, but lower resistance to imipenem, ceftazidime and gentamicin. Conclusion The proportion of diarrhea cases in children is high in boys and children aged 1-3 years, and the incidence is high in summer. Rotavirus and Calicivirus were the main viral pathogens, and Salmonella and Shigella were the main bacterial pathogens. The rational drug use should be based on the distribution characteristics of pathogens and the results of drug sensitivity test to improve the therapeutic effect.

Key words: Diarrhea, Children, Etiology, Pathogen, Drug resistance