The ecology of Escherichia coli in a maternity ward in Christchurch, New Zealand.

During one week, 594 strains of Escherichia coli were collected from the faeces of all mothers, babies and the hands of babies' attendants in a maternity ward in Christchurch Women's Hospital. The strains were serotyped for their 'O' and 'H' antigens, biotyped, and their antibiotic resistance patterns were determined. Very little spread was observed, compared with similar studies carried out in London a few years ago. This is ascribed to the fact that in Christchurch the mothers predominantly handled their own babies, whereas in London the nursing staff predominantly handled them.