Comparison of three assays to detect enterotoxigenicity of Aeromonas isolates from patients with diarrhoea in Vellore, south India.

Fifty strains of Aeromonas spp, isolated from patients with diarrhoea, were tested by three different assays to detect their enterotoxigenicity. Culture filtrates of the isolates were tested for their ability to produce haemolysin and to produce cytopathic changes in Vero cells and for their effects in the suckling mouse assay. The data indicated that biotypes alone are not adequate indicators of pathogenicity of different groups of Aeromonas isolated from patients with diarrhoea. No significant differences were observed in the results of the three assays for the detection of enterotoxigenicity.