A Study of the Role of Enterococci in the Etiology of Food Poisoning,

The article cites experimental data derived from the study of enteropathogenic properties in 30 strains of enterococci Str. faecalis, Str. faecalis v. liquefaciens, Str. faec. v. zymogenes, Str. faecium, Str. durans freshly isolated from different sources. The strains were used to inoculate sterile milk and meat balls, with their subsequent incubation at 37 C for 5, 24 and 48 hours. A cupful 100 ml of milk and a meatball 40 g were ingested once in 7-10 days by 20 practically healthy volunteers, observed for 10 months. A total of 511 test feedings that comprised meat and dairy cultures and 19 feedings with sterile filtrates of Str. faecalis var. liquefaciens strains were carried out. It was shown that a all Str. faecalis v. liquefaciens strains had enteropathogenic properties, b individual Str. faecalis var. zymogenes strains also possessed enteropathogenic properties, c the Str. faecium and Str. durans strains did not display any enteropathogenic properties, d the presence of enteropathogenic properties in the Str. faecalis strains requires setting up further studies, e the sterile filtrates of the Str. faecalis v. liquefaciens enteropathogenic strains had no entertotoxic properties. Author