[Interest of gamma-glutamyltransferase in "Enterobacteriaceae" (author's transl)]

Gamma-Glutamyltransferase (gammaGT) could be detected in 86,6% of 3,027 strains of Enterobacteriaceae, by the use of gamma-L-glutamin-p-nitranilide acid for substrate. The following species produced gamma GT: Citrobacter freundii, Levinea malonatica, L. amalonatica, Klebsiella pneumoniae, K. oxytoca, K. ozaenae, Enterobacter aerogenes, E. cloacae, E. agglomerans, E. gergoviae, K. ozaenae, Enterobacter aerogenes, E. cloacae, E. agglomerans, E. gergoviae, Hafnia alvei, Erwinia carotovora, Serratia marcescens, S. liquefaciens, S. plymuthica, S. marinorubra, S. odorifera, S. ficaria, Proteus vulgaris, P. mirabilis, P. morganii, P. rettgeri, Providencia alcalifaciens, P. stuartii, Yersinia enterocolitica and Y. pseudotuberculosis. Most strains of Escherichia coli and Alkalescens Dispar group are gamma GT+. The following species did not produce gammaGT: Shigella sonnei, Edwardsiella tarda, Klebsiella rhinoscleromatis and Yersinia pestis. Within the Salmonella, most strains of subgenus I, II and IV, and diphasic strains of subgenus III (S. arizonae) produced gamma GT, whereas monophasic strains of subgenus III did not produce gammaGT. Salmonella enteritidis (gammaGT+) and S. dublin (gammaGT-) can readily be distinguished. This test (gammaGT) could also serve as a biochemical marker for S. typhi-murium strains. Shigella dysenteriae serotypes 3 to 9 were gammaGT+ whereas other serotypes were gammaGT-. Within S. flexneri serotype 6, varieties Boyd 88 and Newcastle were found gammaGT+; and varieties Sussex and Manchester were gammaGT-. The use of gammaGT test as an epidemiological marker for other Shigella serotypes is suggested.