[Isolation of Listeria ivanovii in Slovakia]

Abstract

From October 1977 to May 15, 1989 in Slovakia 39 strongly haemolytic strains of L. ivanovii were isolated from a woman after delivery of a stillborn foetus--from the lochiae, placenta and rectal smear, from five symptom-free subjects from the faeces, from the rectal smears of two sheep, from the intestinal contents in the portion of the terminal ileus from 28 free living small terrestrial mammals, one strain from meat--beef steak, from the lungs, liver and kidneys of a dead young sheep and one strain from silage. The strains from the lochiae and placenta as well as those from the organs of sheep were detected already as primocultures on commonly used blood agar, the other strains after varying periods of cold enrichment and subsequent inoculation on a solid selective medium with nalidixic acid and acriflavin. All strains had typical biochemical properties, among which from the diagnostic aspect in particular the catalase formation and acid formation from d-xylose is important, as well as the negative reaction with mannitol, rhamnose and alpha-methyl-d-mannoside. All strains agglutinated in O-factor serum X and gave a typical shovel-like shape CAMP test with Rhodococcus equi. The frequent incidence of L. ivanovii in micromammals indicates their importance as reservoir animals for this species of microorganism. The latter were detected on the territory of all three Slovak regions and in the capital of Slovakia, Bratislava.