This Article Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Reprints and Permissions Copyright Information Books from ASM Press MicrobeWorld Citing Articles Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Bauernfeind, A Articles by Petermüller, C Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Bauernfeind, A Articles by Petermüller, C

 Previous Article  |  Next Article 

J Clin Microbiol. 1984 July; 20(1): 70-73

Typing of Enterobacter spp. by bacteriocin susceptibility and its use in epidemiological analysis.

ABSTRACT

Most clinical isolates of Enterobacter cloacae are bacteriocinogenic and susceptible to bacteriocins. Both rapidly diffusing, nonsedimentable, protease-susceptible and slowly diffusing, sedimentable, protease-resistant bacteriocins are produced. A practicable system was devised for epidemiological typing of E. cloacae isolates by their patterns of susceptibility to bacteriocins. A set of eight bacteriocin-producing strains was grown on tryptic soy agar plates for 16 h. After removal of the producer lawn, the isolates to be typed were inoculated on the agar media by a multipoint inoculator. After a second 16-h period of incubation, the strains were classified into bacteriocin types according to the patterns of growth inhibition. Typability of 134 clinical isolates was 96.3%. Only 11 (8.2%) of the isolates fell into the largest group. Repeat testing of isolates from the same patients within 2 months gave identical bacteriocin types. Other species of Enterobacter (E. agglomerans and E. aerogenes) are also typable by this method.