| E. coli were known as a normal microbiota in the intestinal. Some strains are pathogenic and they are classified based on their properties and virulence mechanisms. Five classes (virotypes) of E. coli causing diarrhea diseases that have been recognized: enterotoxigenic E. coli (ETEC), enteroinvasive E. coli (EIEC), enterohemorrhagic E. coli (EHEC), enteropathogenic E. coli (EPEC), and enteroaggregative E. coli (EAEC). Each class has serological subgroup and manifests distinct features in pathogenesis. The prevalence and detection of pathogenic E. coli from water and ice samples from street vendors in Jakarta was done by using Most Probable Number (MPN) method. We also identified the pathogenicity properties by the presence of virulence genes related with the virotypes of E. coli using multiplex PCR assay. Six primers were used for this study (eae, stx, est, elt, ipaH, and aggR). From this study we found that water and ice that are used for street foods were contaminated with high prevalence of enterobacteria. The presence of pathogenic E. coli is alarming and need to be concerned. |