[Characteristics of th staphylococci isolated from slaughtered sheep]

A study was carried out on the type composition and the biochemical characteristics of 449 staphylococcic strains, eliminated from the corpses of slaughtered small ruminants (sheep and lambs) in 3 meat-producing enterprises. It was established that out of the 449 staphylococcic differentiated strains--50 (11.14%) were Staph. Aureus, 247 (55.01%)--Staph. Saprophyticus, and 152 (33.85%)--Staph. Epidermidis. The fermentation of mannite in anaerobic conditions is characteristic of coagulative positive staphylococci, eliminated from small slaughtered ruminants. Ninety five per cent of the Staph. Aureus strains and 51.97% of the Staph. Epidermidis strains, made phosphatase active, and due to this test cannot be accepted as a basic one in differentiating Staph. Aureus. The typified, byt the aid of the bovine set, Staph. Aureus strains belong to the 2d, 3d and 4th indefinite "M" phago-group or are mixed. The most frequent phagotypes are 116, 118 and 53/77.