[Isolation of enteric pathogeic agents in Côte d'Ivoire: Escherichia coli O157:H7 and enteroaggregative E. coli].

New pathogens including Escherichia coli O157:H7 have emerged and spread world-wide as the most important cause of foodborne infections. We established a prospective study in Abidjan from 1996 to 1999 to determine the prevalence of Shiga-toxin producing E. coli (STEC) in our environment. Two O157 strains were found. One (EA47) O157:H7 was isolated from chicken and the other (EH144) O157:HNM from human diarrhoeal stool specimens. Both O157 strains carried stx2, eae, and UidA genes, but not e-hly one. Four other pathogenic E. coli were isolated, including three enteroaggregative E. coli (EAggEC) and one isolate which expresses a cytolethal distending toxin gene (cdtB). This is the first report of Shiga-toxin producing E. coli (STEC) in Côte d'Ivoire. Given its low prevalence (0.8%), E. Coli does not appear to be a public health problem in Côte d'Ivoire.