[Intestinal diseases and pathogenic Escherichia coli in early childhood--diagnostic methods and their value]

In the 50th and 60th enteropathogenic Escherichia coli (EPEC) played an important role for epidemic diarrhoe in children hospitals and kindergarten. The diagnose based on the 0-antigen determination and integration in EPEC-correlated 0-antigen groups. We could demonstrate, that 0-antigen identic Escherichia coli strains isolated in a short period and a small district are extremely different in plasmid profiles. A clonal coherence was not found. 0-antigens are marker of Escherichia coli virulence and today EPEC-infections are only sporadic in middle Europe. That's why 0-antigen determination is of questionable importance for the differentiation of enteropathogenicity. On the other side the role and frequency of further intestinal pathogenic Escherichia coli in early childhood is still unknown.