Emerg Infect DiseidEmerging Infectious Diseases1080-60401080-6059Centers for Disease Control96211952640136Research ArticleEnteroaggregative Escherichia coli.NataroJ. P.jnataro@umppa1.ab.umd.eduSteinerT.GuerrantR. L.University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore 21201, USA.Apr-Jun199842251261

Enteroaggregative Escherichia coli (EAEC), an increasingly recognized cause of diarrhea in children in developing countries, has been particularly associated with persistent diarrhea (more than 14 days), a major cause of illness and death. Recent outbreaks implicate EAEC as a cause of foodborne illness in industrialized countries. The pathogenesis of EAEC infection is not well understood, but a model can be proposed in which EAEC adhere to the intestinal mucosa and elaborate enterotoxins and cytotoxins, which result in secretory diarrhea and mucosal damage. EAEC's ability to stimulate the release of inflammatory mediators may also play a role in intestinal illness.