INTRODUCTION Escherichia coil is a normal faecal flora of both humans and animals. However, some strains of E. coli can cause severe and life-threatening diarrhoea (1). The pathogenic strains are important causes of diarrhoeal disease in the world and remain a major public health problem of children and young infants (2). Although the use of oral rehydration therapy has reduced early childhood mortality caused by acute dehydrating diarrhoeas in many developing countries, persistent diarrhoea still remains an important cause of mortality due to diarrhoeal diseases (3).
