The Distribution of Enteric Streptococci

Comparatively little work has been done to determine the frequency distribution of enteric streptococci in nature. It is generally considered that the enterococci have their origin in the intestinal tract of man and other warmblooded animals. Horses and cattle have been mentioned by several investigators as sources of these organisms, but the occurrence of fecal streptococci in most warm-blooded animals remains a matter of conjecture. Although enterococci of the Streptococcus faecalis and Streptococcus liquefaciens types have been shown to occur on plants (Sherman, 1937a), their presence on vegetable life and in the soil does not necessarily indicate that these are their natural habitats. The presence of enteric streptococci on plants and in the soil is more apt to be an indication of survival than of growth and reproduction. A knowledge of the frequency distribution of fecal streptococci in animals, together with comparatively simple laboratory methods of isolation and identification, would help to determine the public health and sanitary significance of this group of microorganisms. The finding of fecal streptococci in adequately treated swimming pool water, and in the absence of demonstrable coliform organisms, suggests that they either are more resistant to the chemical treatment (Hajna and Perry, 1943) or occur in greater numbers than is suspected. In either case the enterococci take on an added sanitary significance.