THE USE OF BACILLUS DIARRHEAL ENTEROTOXIN (BDE) DETECTION USING AN ELISA TECHNIQUE IN THE CONFIRMATION OF THE ETIOLOGY OF BACILLUS-MEDIATEDDIARRHEA

A commercially available ELISA kit was used for the detection of Bacil lus diarrhoeal enterotoxin (BDE) in a variety of foods and faeces. The ability of isolates of Bacillus spp., including Bacillus cel eus, to produce BDE in Brain Heart Infusion broth containing 0.1% glucose was also checked by use of the kit. Results show that 29 out of 31 B. cere us isolates were enterotoxigenic. Foods positive for preformed BDE wer e always contaminated with > 10(5) B. cereus cfu g(-1), but not all fo ods contaminated with large numbers of B. cereus were positive for BDE . Bacillus spp., other than one isolate which closely resembled B. sub tilis, were negative for BDE production. Criteria for the confirmation of Bacillus-mediated diarrhoea should now include reports of symptoms and incubation periods consistent with the diarrhoeal form of food-po isoning by Bacillus spp., together with the results of tests for enter otoxigenicity of the Bacillus isolate, and detection of BDE in either the food and/or faeces.