beta-D-glucuronidase (BDG) activity of gram-negative bacteria.

BDG is an inducible enzyme that is encoded by the uidA gene in Escherichia coli. Genetic sequences of this gene are present in most if not all E. coli strains regardless of the BDG phenotype. Expression of BDG activity can be influenced by lactose-induced catabolite repression or genetic mutations. Salmonella, Shigella and Yersinia strains frequently exhibit positive BDG reaction. BDG activity of strains belonging to genus Edwardsiella, Serratia, Yersinia, Vibrio, Erwinia, Alcaligenes, Acinetobacter, Moraxella, Plesiomonas, Achromobacter, Flavobacterium, Chromobacterium and Pasteurella awaits examination.