Detection of bacterial phosphatase activity by means of an original and simple test.

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Abstract
A new test for the detection of bacterial phosphatase activity was devised. The test is performed using agar media containing methyl green (MG) and phenolphthalein diphosphate (PDP); in these media phosphatase-producing strains grow deep green stained colonies whereas non-producing strains do not. Strains (739) [isolated from clinical material and from the skin, nose and throat of healthy volunteers] were tested, including 593 staphylococci, 95 micrococci, 11 streptococci, 10 corynebacteria, 14 enterobacteria and 16 candidae. All strains found phosphatase-positive according to the conventional phosphatase test displayed deep green stained colonies on MG-PDP media, whereas all phosphatase-negative strains showed unstained colonies on the same media. The main advantages of the present phosphatase test as compared with other conventional ones are that it is more simple to perform, it can reveal the phosphatase activity of colonies grown in deep agar and can be incorporated into commercial multitest kits.
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