One hundred and eighty-one patients with acute diarrhoea attending the gastroenteritis ward of Sukra Raj Tropical and Infectious Disease Hospital (STIDH) were investigated during the early monsoon, April to May 2001. Bacterial pathogens were isolated in 33% of the patients. Enteropathogenic Escherichia coli was isolated in 8.28%, Shigella species in 13.25% and Vibrio cholerae 01 in 1.1% of the patients. Mixed infections with bacterial pathogens, helminths and protozoan parasites were commonly observed in the study. Trichuris trichiuria was detected in 27.6%, hookworms in 12.7% and Ascaris lumbricoides in 11.04%. Entamoeba histolyticaldispar and Giardia lamblia were observed in 12.7% and 7.73% of the patients, respectively. A large number of Cryptosporidium (7.73%) and Cyclospora species (3.86%) usually present in immunocompromised patients were also detected in acute diarrhoeal cases. The results showed that a wide range of bacterial pathogens was isolated from the inhabitants of Kathmandu, Nepal prior to the monsoon. These findings indicate that the bacterial pathogens, especially diarrhoeaginic E. coli and Shigella, and protozoan parasites, need to be given additional attention in the diagnosis and treatment of acute diarrhoea.