Gastrointestinal Pathogens Detected by Multiplex PCR in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia (2023–2024)

Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, is the focus of this dataset describing the epidemiology of gastrointestinal pathogens detected by multiplex PCR at a tertiary care center. It includes results from 9,122 stool specimens processed between January 2023 and December 2024, with 2,866 positive tests from 2,189 unique patients. The data was collected by Nabeel Alzahrani and published on figshare in 2026.

Use Cases

• Analyze age-specific pathogen distribution patterns based on pediatric versus adult patient data.
• Investigate seasonal trends in gastrointestinal infections based on the timing of testing.
• Model factors associated with co-infection based on demographic and sample source variables.
• Compare the prevalence of specific pathogens like Clostridioides difficile, E. coli, norovirus, and Salmonella.

Strengths

• Includes 9,122 stool specimens with a defined positivity rate of 31.4%.
• Covers a two-year time range from January 2023 to December 2024.
• Provides specific findings on co-infection rates (30.8% of positive samples) and age-group comparisons.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
• Data may reflect geographic and institutional bias inherent to a single tertiary care center in Riyadh.

Provenance

Source

Nabeel Alzahrani via figshare

Collection Method

Retrospective analysis of stool specimens tested using a multiplex gastrointestinal PCR panel at King Abdulaziz Medical City, Riyadh.

Time Range

January 2023 to December 2024

Freshness

Last updated 2026-06-03 05:39:58; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Riyadh, Saudi Arabia