DISTRIBUTION AND CHARACTERIZATION OF ENTEROCOCCUS SPECIES IN MUNICIPAL SEWAGES

The occurrence, distribution and characterization of enterococci in mu nicipal sewages from two geographically different regional sewage trea tment plants in East Slovakia was studied. The total counts of enteroc occi in samples varied from 10(4) to 10(6) CFU/ml. The vast majority o f the strains identified were Enterococcus faecium (50%), with E. gall inarum (25.5%) and E. casseliflavus (10.1%). The species which account ed for 14.4% of the cultures were not specified. Lactic acid productio n from twenty isolates ranged from 0.085 mol l(-1) to 0.914 mol l(-1). Urease activity ranged from 1.21 nkat ml(-1) to 10.49 nkat ml(-1). Th e strains were resistant to at least one (except for vancomycin) and a t most to six antibiotics tested. The majority of isolates were biresi stant. Although nine strains were without bacteriocin production, the other strains inhibited the growth of enterococcal as well as staphylo coccal isolates. E. faecium AL 40 produced bacteriocin which inhibited the growth of all indicators reaching 12 mm zones of inhibition. E. f aecium was the most prevalent species in all samples, but the source p osition of isolates as well as the sewage composition did not affect e nterococcal distribution. The ability of isolates to produce bacterioc in indicates their possible use in biotechnological environmental proc esses.