Growth interferences between bacterial strains from raw cow's milk and their impact on growth of Listeria monocytogenes and Staphylococcus aureus

Aims The purpose of this study was to detect growth enhancing or inhibiting activity between bacterial populations from raw milk under different conditions (temperature, medium). Methods and Results The interference of 24 raw milk isolates on growth of each other and on Listeria monocytogenes, Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus subtilis and Micrococcus luteus was screened by drop assay and for selected pairs in co‐cultivation experiments. By drop assay, antibacterial activity was observed for 40% of the strains. About 30% of the strains showed growth‐enhancing activity on other strains. Most of the isolates were well adapted to cold temperatures and showed consistent or even increased inhibiting or enhancing effects on growth of other strains at 10°C. The growth of L. monocytogenes DSM 20600T and S. aureus DSM 1104T was significantly (P