title: Phosphatase activity is a constant feature of all isolates of all major species of the family Enterobacteriaceae.
abstract: In this study we evaluated phosphatase activity in members of the family Enterobacteriaceae by conventional methods and by a novel method. The novel method is based on the formation of bright-green-strained colonies by phosphatase-positive, but not phosphatase-negative, strains in the presence of a phosphate substrate, such as phenolphthalein monophosphate or 6-benzoylnaphthyl phosphate (6-BNP), and methyl green. A total of 1,055 strains belonging to 65 different species of Enterobacteriaceae were tested for green staining of the colonies in the presence of methyl green and either phenolphthalein monophosphate or 6-BNP and for phosphatase activity by three different conventional methods. With the sole exception of one Leminorella richardii type strain, all isolates of all of the species formed green-stained colonies in the presence of the substrate 6-BNP. All strains were phosphatase positive by all of the conventional methods.
authors: Istituto di Microbiologia, Università degli Studi di Siena, Italy.
authors: G
authors: G
authors: Satta
authors: R
authors: R
authors: Pompei
authors: G
authors: G
authors: Grazi
authors: G
authors: G
authors: Cornaglia
mesh_terms: D004755:Enterobacteriaceae / Q000145:classification / Q000201:enzymology* / Q000302:isolation & purification; D006801:Humans; D010744:Phosphoric Monoester Hydrolases / Q000032:analysis*; D013045:Species Specificity; D013194:Staining and Labeling / Q000379:methods; D013379:Substrate Specificity
chemical_list: D010744:Phosphoric Monoester Hydrolases