Incidence of Pathogenic Serologic Types ofEscherichia coliamong Neonatal Patients in the New England Area

ANTIGENICALLY homogenous strains of Escherichia coli (var. neopolitana) were isolated from infants with summer diarrhea in London by Bray1 in 1945. Since then several of the four serotypes of Esch. coli have been found in hospital outbreaks of infantile gastroenteritis throughout the world,2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 and the pathogenic role of some of these serotypes has been further demonstrated by administration of live cultures to adult volunteers.11 12 13 In epidemics the newborn infant is extremely susceptible whereas older infants are relatively resistant. Although outbreaks have been characterized by a high infectivity rate among infant contacts, there have been differing reports on the frequency . . .