Evaluation of the L-pyrrolidonyl-beta-naphthylamide hydrolysis test for the differentiation of members of the families Enterobacteriaceae and Vibrionaceae.

A simple, rapid, and inexpensive spot test incorporating the substrate pyrrolidonyl naphthylamide was used to examine pyrrolidonyl peptidase activity among 800 bacterial strains belonging to the families Enterobacteriaceae and Vibrionaceae. The pyrrolidonyl naphthylamide test was found to be particularly useful in separating Citrobacter spp. (100% positive) from Salmonella spp. (0.4% positive) and Escherichia coli (0% positive). Furthermore, it would appear to offer a safer alternative to the traditional potassium cyanide test for differentiating citrobacters from salmonellae.