RESUMO
A total of 616 isolates of Escherichia coli from 90 diarrhoea cases and 87 control cases were included in this study. Vero cells were cultured in microtitre plates. E. coli toxin was produced by growing in Trypticase Soy Broth with vigourous shaking. It was demonstrated that 17 out of 55 cases (30.9 per cent) from diarrhoea group and 7 out of 70 cases from control group (10 per cent) were verotoxic and these were not Enteropathogenic (EPEC) not Enterotoxigenic (ETEC) group of E. coli. It was also observed that in diarrhoea group of study, 5 out of 9 cases of (EPEC) and 2 out of 8 cases of (ETEC) and 8 out of 18 cases of both (EPEC + ETEC) were verotoxic. Other bacteria tested failed to produce toxic substances which could produce cytopathic effect on Vero cells.