Medium and temperature dependence of decarboxylase reactions inAeromonas spp.

Decarboxylase/dihydrolase activities inAeromonas spp. are important as diagnostic tools and indicators of enterotoxin production. We have analyzed the following media at 25°C, 29°C, and 37°C, respectively, for their ability to detect such activities: Møller's, Falkow's, and Fay and Barry's (F&B) containing ornithine, lysine, and arginine, respectively, as well as motility-indole-ornithine (MIO) medium and lysine decarboxylase broth with 0.1% agar (LDC). In order to retain ornithine negativity, but to get as much positivity as possible for arginine, optimal incubation conditions were 29°C for 96 h (Møller), 48 h (Falkow, MIO, and LDC), and 24 h (F&B). The F&B medium proved to be the most sensitive for the detection of lysine decarboxylase, a positive test being highly correlated with the two speciesA. hydrophila andA. sobria, and we suggest its use for routine detection of decarboxylase/dihydrolase activities.In memory of Dr. Sally Jo Rubin.