Studies on the growth of Vibrio cholerae biotype eltor and biotype classical in foods

The growth of Vibrio cholerae biotype eltor and biotype classical was studied in a range of cooked foods, shellfish and raw vegetables, incubated at 22 degrees, 30 degrees and 37 degrees C. Both biotypes grew in all cooked foods but growth was not demonstrated on raw shellfish. The organism multiplied on some vegetables to levels of the order of 10(6)/g. The classical biotypes of V. cholerae showed a longer lag period than the eltor biotype in some foods particularly when incubated at 22 degrees C. The eltor biotypes reached a higher level in the stationary phase than the classical biotypes.