[Differential diagnosis of enterococci].

The most stable differential signs of enterococci are: growth in the medium at pH 10.2, growth in broth containing 40% bile, citrate utilization, resistance to 0,05% potassium tellurite, 2, 3, 5-triphenyltetrazolium chloride (TTC) reduction, the staining of colonies (plaques) on a medium with manganese, iron and zinc salts, glycerine fermentation under anaerobic conditions, mannite fermentation, the presence of hemolysin, of the proteolytic enzyme, and mobility. Combined differential-diagnostic nutrient medium permits to determine simultaneously 5 enterococci signs--resistance to nalidixic acid and to crystal violet, TTC reduction, hemolytic and proteolytic activity. The suggested scheme of enterococci laboratory diagnosis including a set of hard nutrient media poured into multisection Petri dish is simple reliable and accessible for any bacteriological laboratory.