FURTHER STUDIES ON ENTEROPATHOGENIC ESCHERICHIA COLI ASSOCIATED WITH DIARRHOEAL DISEASES IN CHILDREN AND ADULTS

Abstract
Following the study of Sakazaki, Tamura and Saito (1967), search was made for previously unrecognized enteropathogenic OK groups of Escherichia coli among 756 strains isolated from children and adults with diarrhoea. Eleven OK groups of E. coli were recognized as possible enteropathogens associated with diarrhoea in children and adults, based on their frequency of isolation, ligated gut-loop reactions in rabbits and keratoconjunctival tests in guinea pigs, together with published reports by other workers. These were: O6: K.; O6: K62; O18: K76; O18: K77; O20: K84; O25 : K1; O78: K80; O114: K90; O142: K86; O148: K.; and O152: K. Of the 11 OK groups, O25: K1 and O152: K., possessed Shigella-like enteropathogenicity, and the remaining 9, most of which had already been described as causative agents of infantile diarrhoea, were included in the “Salmonella-like group” of enteropathogenic E. coli by Sakazaki et al. (1967) . The criteria for determination of the possible enteropathogenicity of a given E. coli OK group are discussed.