Association of untypeable enteropathogenic Escherichia coli (EPEC) strains with persistent diarrhea in children from the region of Lower Silesia in Poland

Enteropathogenic Escherichia coli strains (EPEC) carrying the eae gene encoding intimin are divided into typical strains producing bundle forming pili, encoded by the bfpA gene, and atypical strains lacking the gene. In the study typical and atypical EPEC that did not agglutinated with EPEC polyvalent antisera but carrying virulence factors characteristic to other pathogenic E. coli i.e. diffusely adhering and enteroaggregative E. coli were isolated from 24 (43.6%) of 55 children > 10 years old with persistent diarrhea. These results indicated that non-typeable typical and atypical EPEC can contribute to chronic intestinal infections in teenagers.