[The toxin-producing ability of salmonella from bovine test material]

Cell-free supernatants of 40 Salmonella strains of different serovars were tested for the existence of enterotoxic substances in the rabbit skin permeability factor test, rabbit ileal loop test, tissue culture assays (CHO K1, RTG-2), and baby mouse test. There were differences in the test results between the strains even within the same serovar. Correlation coefficients between the results of different toxin tests were low. It is therefore improbable that the "enterotoxic activity" of Salmonella is caused by only one toxic substance. The activities revealed in the different test systems could not be related to virulence or the epizootiological behaviour of the strains. The in vitro occurrence of the virulence factor "enterotoxin production" is lower for Salmonella than for E. coli and V. cholerae.