ENTEROCOCCI ISOLATED FROM DAIRY-PRODUCTS - A REVIEW OF RISKS AND POTENTIAL TECHNOLOGICAL USE

Enterococci are ubiquitous bacteria which frequently occur in large nu mbers in dairy and other food products. Although they share a number o f biotechnological traits (e.g., bacteriocin production, probiotic cha racteristics, usefulness in dairy technology), there is no consensus o n whether enterococci pose a threat as foodborne pathogens. The potent ial pathogenicity of lactic acid bacteria (LAB), including enterococci , in human clinical infections and their association with endocarditis have recently become a matter of controversy, in spite of the fact th at foods containing enterococci have a long history of safe use. This article provides literature data available on microbial ecology, bioch emical properties, production of anti-Listeria bacteriocins, and poten tial pathogenic traits of enterococci isolated from different dairy pr oducts.