BACTERIOCIN-LIKE ANTAGONISM IN YERSINIA-ENTEROCOLITICA

A total of 121 Yersinia enterocolitica O3 isolates from patients with gastroenteritis and 37 Y. enterocolitica reference strains with differ ent O antigens were tested for bacteriocine production and sensitivity . By using cross-streaking method strains belonging to serogroups of O 5; O7,8; O7,13; O11; O11,23; O13,27; O17; O19,8 and O34 produced bacte riocin-like substances. None of the Y. enterocolitica O3 strains produ ced bacteriocin-like material and most of them were uniformly sensitiv e against the bacteriocin-like material produced by strains of serogro ups O7,8; O7,13; O13,27 and O19,8. By sodium dodecyl sulphate-polyacry lamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) significant differences were dem onstrated in the whole cell protein patterns of Y. enterocolitica refe rence strains belonging to different serogroups in the range of 33-47 kilodalton (kDa). Out of the ten examined bacteriocin-like material pr oducer strains only one strain harboured a plasmid of about 60 megadal ton (MDa).