Genetic probes for enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli isolated from childhood diarrhea in the Central African Republic.

Escherichia coli strains were isolated from 778 children with diarrhea and 151 well children in the Central African Republic over a period of 1 year. These 929 strains were assayed for heat-labile and heat-stable enterotoxin production and were hybridized (probed) with structural genes for these enterotoxins. Twenty-four isolates from diarrheal patients and one isolate from a well child were found to be toxigenic by assay and probe. Minor discrepancies were encountered with both assays and probes during initial screening procedures, but the two methodologies were ultimately comparable.