Antimicrobial effect of enterocin CCM 4231 in the cattle slurry environment

The antagonistic effect of enterocin CCM 4231 towards enterococci, staphylococci, Escherichia coli, listeriae and pseudomonads in the cattle slurry environment was assessed during periods of 1 and 2 weeks. The maximum decrease in the viable cells of enterococci and staphylococci (5.39 to 1.1 log CFU ml-1, and 4.3 to 2.3 log CFU ml-1, respectively) was detected on the second day after enterocin CCM 4231 addition to cattle slurry. E. coli cells, listeriae and pseudomonads decreased insignificantly. After 1 week, enterococci were completely inhibited. Staphylococci were suppressed by reaching a 1.8 log CFU ml-1 difference between the experimental and the control samples. A stable suppressive effect of enterocin CCM 4231 on the growth of listerial cells became significant with 2.59 log CFU ml-1 between the experimental and the control samples in the second week of bacteriocin addition. This was demonstrated in an experiment with enterocin addition to slurry which was sterilized and then inoculated with Listeria monocytogenes Ohio culture. Further possibilities of using bacteriocins for the treatment of animal waste are discussed.