Survey of Commercially Available Cheese for Enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli1

Abstract

Seventy-eight commercial cheese samples were tested for the presence of Escherichia coli. None of the 136 E. coli isolates obtained produced either heat-labile or heat-stable enterotoxin, as measured in standard assays. None agglutinated in polyvalent antisera used to screen for classical enteropathogenic serotypes. None of the 47 E. coli isolates obtained from six raw milk samples produced enterotoxin, but eight agglutinated in one or more of the polyvalent antisera.