Abstract
Diarrhoea is among the leading causes of death and illness in children under the age of five years in South Africa and across the world and pathogenic bacteria such as diarrhoeagenic Escherichia coli (DEC) have been implicated in several studies across the world as one of the major etiological agents of diarrhoea. While the group of non-pathogenic E. coli (commensal E. coli) are very useful as indicators of faecal pollution by warm blooded animals and humans, the pathogenic group of DEC use different virulent factors and pathogenesis to cause diarrhoea, which can be potentially fatal to humans and animals. The eight most common DEC pathotypes include; enteropathogenic E. coli (EPEC), enterotoxigenic E. coli (ETEC), enteroinvasive E. coli (EIEC), diffusely adhering E. coli (DAEC), enterohaemorrhagic E. coli (EHEC), enteroaggregative E. coli (EAEC), Shiga Toxin (Stx) producing E. coli (STEC) and adherent invasive E. coli (AIEC)...
M.Tech. (Biomedical Technology)