Watery diarrhea in children is caused by

Enteropathogenic E.coli: associated mainly with diarrhea in children and infants usually occurring as an institutional outbreak. The pathogenesis of EPEC diarrhea is not fully understood. EPEC is non-invasive and does not produce enterotoxin. Another mechanism is by adherence to the enterocyte membrane. This activity is regulated by the chromosomally coded locus of enterocyte effacement (LEE). This is a pathogenicity island by an intimin protein coded for by the eae gene. This results in the disruption of the brush border microvilli. Reference: Textbook of Microbiology; Anathanarayan and paniker's; 10th edition; Page no: 285