[Detection of enterotoxin production in bovine Salmonella isolates]

54 Salmonella-strains (7 serovars) of bovine origin isolated from faecal samples, rectal swabs as well as from organs of emergency-slaughtered or dead animals were tested for enterotoxin production (heat-labile and heat-stable) in rabbit-ileal-loop-assay (RILT), skin-permeability-factor-test (HPT), CHO- and Y1-cell-culture-assay and in baby-mouse-test (BMT). The cell-free supernatants (CFS) were used in the tests. The Y1-cells did not respond to the Salmonella toxins. While the RILT was suitable, the CHO-cell-assay proved to be the most sensitive and easy-to-handle system. The results confirm the frequent occurrence of the biological property of enterotoxin production within the species Salmonella enterica. Therefore, this property is in our opinion not useful as an epizootological marker for salmonellae.