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. 1988 Dec;26(12):2637–2641. doi: 10.1128/jcm.26.12.2637-2641.1988

Phosphatase activity is a constant feature of all isolates of all major species of the family Enterobacteriaceae.

G Satta 1, R Pompei 1, G Grazi 1, G Cornaglia 1
PMCID: PMC266961  PMID: 2466048

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.

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Selected References

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