SUMMARYThe Salmonella Reference Centre in Johannesburg received 14059 strains of human origin between 1979 and 1984. A significant proportion (6-3 %) proved to belong to subspecies II. The majority were cultured from faecal material, usually associated with symptoms related to the gastrointestinal tract. They comprised 884 isolates, represented by 203 serotypes, of which 45 were new serotypes.The poor hygienic conditions found in many rural areas, together with possible contamination of food and water by wild animals, may contribute to the greater frequency of human S.II infections and the widespread occurrence of unusual serotypes in man in this geographic region.

Salmonella greenside was isolated from the feces of an apparently healthy native cook employed in Rand Leases Mine, South Africa. The bacterium possessed the usual characteristics of the Enterobacteriaceue and gave the following results in biochemical tests: Adonitol, inositol, lactose and sucrose were not fermented but salicin was fermented after prolonged incubation. Glucose and mannitol were fermented rapidly with production of gas and acid was produced promptly from arabinose, dulcitol, maltose, rhamnose, sorbitol, trehalose, and xylose. The reaction in Stern's glycerol fuchsin broth was positive and HzS was produced in ferrous chloride gelatin. Indol was not produced and urea was not hydrolyzed. The methyl red test was positive and the Voges-Proskauer reaction was negative. Positive reactions occurred in liquid synthetic media containing ammonium salts as a source of nitrogen and glucose and sodium citrate respectively as sources of carbon.

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