Studies on Enterococci : (5) Amino acid decarboxylase of the certain strains

It is well known that tyrosine and phenylalnine are decarboxylated by the majority of enterococcal strains. This observation has taxonomic utility and aids in the differentiation of enterococci from the related organisms. In this paper, a report deals with the decarboxylation of several amino acids by the strains isolated from various sources. Results obtained were as follows : 1. Majority of the strains had the abilities of the decarboxylation of tyrosine and arginine, but not of glutamic acid. Lysine, ornithine and phenylalanine. 2. A few of the strains belonged to S. faecium, showed the decarboxylations of glutamic acid and phenylalanine. 3. Glutamic acid, lysine and phenylalanine were decarboxylated by several strains from insects respectively.