Gram-positive cocci isolated from slaughtered poultry.

Gram-positive cocci were found in all meat samples of poultry slaughtered and processed for retail sale, at incidence rates ranging from 10(2) CFU/ml to 1.35 x 10(6) CFU/ml and a mode between 8 x 10(5) and 9 x 10(5) CFU/ml for 75% of the samples. The 93 isolated strains were identified as belonging to the following species: Enterococcus faecalis (48 strains), E. faecium (16), E. avium (7), E. durans (4), Aerococcus viridans (10), Streptococcus morbillorum (2), S. salivarius (1), S. sanguis (1), S. "milleri" (1), S. pneumoniae (1), S. acidominimus (1), and Gemella haemolysans (1). These species, which mainly colonize the intestinal tract, but may also be found in other parts of both the human and animal body, are pathogens or potentially such. Their presence is an indication of the fecal contamination of meat processed following gutting of slaughtered chickens (endogenous contamination). A count of the Gram-positive cocci and enterobacteria detected showed that enterococci were present in a far greater number than coliform bacteria.