Laboratory transmission of enterobacteriaceae by the oriental cockroach, Blatta orientalis

Methods of maintaining and feeding and of infecting cockroaches with pathogenic organisms were investigated.Cockroaches fed on known concentrations of Escherichia coli O119, Esch. coli O1, Alkalescens Dispar O group 2 and Shigella dysenteriae 1 (Shiga's Bacillus) were maintained in Petri dishes. The effect of various diets on the survival of these organisms within the hind-gut and faeces was observed. With a ;normal' diet of gruel Esch. coli O119 was isolated for up to 20 days, Esch. coli O1 for 17 days and ADO 2 for 15 days. Sh. dysenteriae 1 was isolated only sporadically to the third day.