Enteropathogenic Escherichia coli (EPEC) was the first pathotype of E. coli identified in the 1940s, and remains a common cause of infantile diarrhea in developing countries. EPEC and EHEC [DS:
H00277] strains are characterized by the type III secretion system and its cognate effectors encoded in the locus of enterocyte effacement (LEE), but EPEC does not release diffusible toxins.
