IDENTIFICATION OF RUMINAL ENTEROCOCCAL AND STREPTOCOCCAL FLORA OF SHEEP

Ten strains of lactic acid producing streptococci and enterococci were isolated from rumen content of sheep. According to taxonomic identifi cation the isolates were allotted to the species Streptococcus bovis ( SB7), Str. uberis (SU7, SU37), Enterococcus mundtii (EM4), Ent. solita rius (ES3), Ent. faecalis (ED5) and Ent. faecium (EF5A, EF5B, EF5C). M ost of the strains were monoresistant to antibiotics. The strains were sensitive to tetracycline, kanamycin, chloramphenicol (30mug per disk ), gentamycin, oxacillin and rifampicin (10mug per disk) but resistant to penicillin (10 IU). Most of the strains were resistant to antimicr obial feed additives, bacitracin and nitrovin at a concentration of 10 and 50 mg/L. SU7, ED5, ED7 and EF5C strains were sensitive to monensi n at the same concentrations. Sensitivity to other ionophore salinomyc in was also detected in SU7, ED5, EF5C strains as well as in the strai n EF5B at concentrations of 10 and 50 mg/L. Sensitivity to nourseothri cin, tylosin, virginiamycin and lasalocid was shown by most of strepto cocci and enterococci isolates.