LACK OF CORRELATION BETWEEN THE ENTEROTOXIGENICITY OF CLOSTRIDIUM-PERFRINGENS ISOLATES AND PROPIONIC-ACID FORMATION OR AMYLASE ACTIVITY AT 46-DEGREES-C

The absence in the supernatant fluid of either extracellular amylase i n cultures grown at 46 degrees C or propionic acid has been proposed f or the presumptive identification of enterotoxin-positive strains of C lostridium perfringens. However we found that propionic acid was forme d by several enterotoxin-positive, as well as enterotoxin-negative, st rains of this organism. In addition 4 of 13 ent(+) stains produced ext racellular amylase during growth at 46 degrees C. These results indica te that neither trait can be used as a reliable indicator of the enter otoxigenicity of isolates of this organism.