Enteropathogenic Escherichia coli induce diarrhoea, the most common cause of childhood morbidity and mortality, particularly in developing countries. It is associated with cases that evolve without proper feeding and in infants from lowlevel socioeconomic groups. This study was carried out to determine the prevalence of enteropathogenic bacteria associated with diarrhoea in children whose age range is 036 months in Abeokuta, Nigeria. Consent was obtained from respondents and the health facilities used. Structured questionnaire was administered to 250 nursing mothers of children with symptoms of diarrhoea to assess their socioeconomic status in a crosssectional survey carried out in three hospitals and two herbal centres between June and November 2010. An assessment of microbiological profile of enteric pathogens isolated from pediatric stool specimens and antibiotic sensitivity pattern was carried out. Of the 250 samples of children with symptoms of diarrhea, the overall prevalence of enteropathogenic microorganisms was 24.8%. This included Escherichia coli (17.6%), Salmonella typhii (2.4%), Klebsiella pneumonia (0.8%), Chrobacter sp (0.8%), Enterobacter spp (0.8%). The highest prevalence of infection was among age 112 months with Escherichia coli having 50%, Salmonella typhi with 66.7% in their age bracket and the highest prevalence of klebsiella pneumoniae infection was in the age group of 112 and 2536 months. The present study shows that enteropathogenic Escherichia coli is the predominant causative agent of infantile diarrhoea in Abeokuta, Nigeria.
