ABSTRACT
With the aim of verifying the capacity of in vivo production of enterotoxins of Aeromonas spp. strains isolated from products and at different places of the processing poultry plant, 75 strains isolated from feather, stool, pre-evisceration, post-evisceration, cooled carcass and “chilling” water samples were assayed by the ligated ileal loop test in rabbits and intragastric inoculation in suckling mice. From 75 strains analyzed, 31 (41.3%) produced enterotoxins in the ligated ileal loop assay in rabbits, the breakdown being 9 (29.0%) A. hydrophila, 9 (29.0%) A. sobria, 6 (19.4%) A. caviae, 4 (12.9%) A. veronii, 1 (3.2%) A. schubertii, 1 (3.2%) A. trota and 1 (3.2%) A. jandaei. This study showed that strains of different species of aeromonas are able to produce enterotoxins in in-vivo tests, suggesting a danger to public health. The test of intragastric inoculation in suckling mice did not show evidence of enterotoxin production.
KEY WORDS
Aeromonas spp.; slaughtered poultry; enterotoxins; inoculation in ligated ileal loop assay in rabbits; test of intragastric inoculation in suckling mice