Experimental investigations into influence of Escherichia coli and Clostridium perfringens on the steroid estrone

Together with the faecal and the urinary discharge of animals and humans na tural and synthetic estrogenes are excreted into the environment, About the ir degradation in the environment only few facts are known. Their reduction is probably of microbial enzymatical nature. For looking into that questio n it was investigated by in-vitro-attempts whether Escherichia coli or Clos tridium perfringens influence the estrone. Therefore estrone was incubated together with the microorganisms tested (experimental groups) and without t hose (control groups) in nutrient medium for these bacteria over 48 hours w ith 37 degrees C (aerobic) or 42 degrees C (anaerobic), For the executed pr ocedure an enzyme immunoassay was used. It could be seen that E. coli does not show a provable effect on the estrone concentration under this conditio ns. Whereas C, perfringens might have a potency for the degradation of the hormone tested. The experiments shows that there exists obviously a differe nce between estrone and 4-pregnene-20 beta-ol-3-one in the same system of t est.