Inhibition of the growth of enteropathogenic bacilli by bacteriocins produced by micro-organisms from the sediment of wells

Abstract
The bacterial flora of the sediment of 20 wells of water for human consumption in the rural area of the VII Region in Chile was examined. Fourteen strains of bacteria, from different wells, produced bacteriocins which inhibited the growth of Salmonella typhi, Salm. typhimurium, Shigella sonnei and enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli. About 50% of these strains contained plasmids of different molecular weight and a large number of these codified for bacteriocins. The results suggest what is required to implement an efficient, simple and economical biological system for the purification or control of the number of enteropathogenic bacilli of well water in the rural area.