[Regional characteristics of enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli serotypes isolated from children with gastroenteritis in the South Pacific (New Caledonia, Vanuatu Republic, Wallis and Futuna].

One hundred and fifty enterotoxigenic strains of Escherichia coli (ETEC) isolated from infants with acute diarrhoeas in New Caledonia, Vanuatu and Wallis and Futuna were examined for serotypes. Twenty serotypes were identified, 5% of E. coli (7 strains) were rough and 8% (12 strains) were untypable. The serotypes 06, 025, and 078 are enterotoxigenic at 100%. The serotypes 027 and 073 classically enterotoxigenic did not produce any enterotoxin. This study opens up a possibility that the predominant enterotoxigenic serotypes in that region of the South Pacific are probably different from the serotypes proposed in the pool of sera to identify ETEC.