Enterotoxigenicity and invasiveness of Salmonella species.

A large number of enterotoxigenic strain was encountered in a group 56 Salmonella cultures belonging to 8 species viz., S. alachua, S. anatum, S. dublin, S. Enteritidis, S. hindmarsh, S. newport, S. typhimurium, S. weltevreden, and 5 serotypes of S. arizona (16:z4:--; 48:1,v:z56; 53:z52:z53; 60:r:z; 60:i:z53). These cultures were isolated mainly from humans and animals suffering from gasteroenteritis. The enterotoxigenic (diarrhoeagenic) Salmonella cultures possess capacities for both skin permeation and epithelial penetration (invasiveness). Preliminary characterization revealed that Salmonella enterotoxin is a heat-labile protein of high molecular weight. It is suggested that enterotoxigenic and invasive properties play a vital role in the pathogenesis of Salmonella diarrhoea.