Introduction: Infectious gastroenteritis in children is a major public health concern. They are linked to the presence of certain pathogenic bacteria, particularly the Escherichia coli tribe. Enteropathogenic. The aim of the study was to determine the prevalence of Escherichia coli responsible for diarrhoea isolated from children aged 0-5 years. Material and Methods: This was a descriptive cross-sectional study conducted from 01 July to 31 December. 31 October 2021 at the Hôpital Régional de Sarh (HRS), the Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de la Mother and Child Hospital (CHU-ME) and the Notre Dame des Apôtres Hospital (HNDA) in N'Djamena. Stool analyses were carried out at the Bacteriology Laboratory of the Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de la Mère et de l'Enfant. The stools were collected in sterile jars containing Cary-Blair transport medium and then sent to the Bacteriology laboratory of the Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de la Mère et de l'Enfant for culturing on Eosine Bleu de Méthylène (EMB) agar and incubating in a bacteriological oven for 18 to 24 hours at 37°C. Colonies from this metallic sheen culture were subcultured onto Muller Hinton agar for purification and antigenic studies. Gram staining and oxidase tests were performed on the different strains. Biochemical identification of the isolates was carried out using the Le Minor slide and the API 20 E Gallery in accordance with Bio Mérieux recommendations. Results: A total of 296 stools were processed, and 36 strains of enteropathogenic Escherichia coli were isolated, giving an overall prevalence of 12.2%. Higher prevalences were obtained at HRS (16%), CHU-ME (11.3%) and HNDA (9.9%). The 12-59 month age group of children was the most infested (86.1%) in the three hospitals. Male children were infested at 58.3%. The following serotypes were identified: O111, O26, O86, O125, O126, O124, O114, O142 with a prevalence of (25%) for serotype O124 followed by serotype O126, O114 and O142 with 13.9%. Pathogenic E. coli strains were most isolated in July (58%) followed by August (27.8%). Households where children used boreholes as a source of drinking water were the most infected at 63.9%, followed by water from the STE at 25.8%. According to the results obtained, the infections were of food, environmental and hygienic origin. Conclusion: The study confirmed that E. coli remains the predominant species of gastroenteritis in diarrhoeal infections among children in Chad. There is a need to raise awareness of food and environmental hygiene among children. PI: It would be important to broaden the scope of research into these enteropathogens in the food, environmental and clinical fields, to gain a better understanding of the origins and circulation patterns of these fearsome strains.

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