HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS		QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced] Author: Keyword(s): Year:  Vol:  Page:

This Article Full Text Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Citation Map Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via CrossRef Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Creti, R. Articles by Baldassarri, L. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Creti, R. Articles by Baldassarri, L. Agricola Articles by Creti, R. Articles by Baldassarri, L.

Survey for virulence determinants among Enterococcus faecalis isolated from different sources

^1,2Laboratorio di Batteriologia¹ and Laboratorio di Ultrastrutture², Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Viale Regina Elena, 299-00161 Rome, Italy ³Dipartimento di Medicina Clinica, Università ‘La Sapienza', P. le Aldo Moro, 5-00185 Rome, Italy

Correspondence Roberta Creti roberta.creti{at}iss.it

Received June 19, 2003
Accepted October 20, 2003

A collection of Enterococcus faecalis strains from clinical isolates, healthy individuals and the environment was screened for the presence of virulence factor genes, such as those for collagen-binding protein (ace), endocarditis antigen (efaA), haemolysin activator (cylA), gelatinase (gelE), aggregation substances (asa1 and asa373), a surface protein (esp) and two novel putative surface antigens (EF0591 and EF3314). Apart from some genes that were present in all strains (ace, efaA and EF3314), the gelE gene was the most common factor, although its presence did not correlate with its expression. The genes that encode Esp and CylA were never detected in endocarditis isolates, whereas an association was noted between the esp gene and isolates from urinary tract infection (UTI) and bacteraemia. An aggregation substance gene was always present in commensal strains. As for gelatinase, the presence of the cylA and asa genes did not correlate completely with their phenotypic expression. Generally, isolates from endocarditis, biliary stents and the environment were equipped with fewer virulence factors than isolates from other sources. UTI strains possessed the highest number of factors.

This article has been cited by other articles:

				F. Biavasco, G. Foglia, C. Paoletti, G. Zandri, G. Magi, E. Guaglianone, A. Sundsfjord, C. Pruzzo, G. Donelli, and B. Facinelli VanA-Type Enterococci from Humans, Animals, and Food: Species Distribution, Population Structure, Tn1546 Typing and Location, and Virulence Determinants Appl. Envir. Microbiol., May 15, 2007; 73(10): 3307 - 3319. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				C. Paoletti, G. Foglia, M. S. Princivalli, G. Magi, E. Guaglianone, G. Donelli, C. Pruzzo, F. Biavasco, and B. Facinelli Co-transfer of vanA and aggregation substance genes from Enterococcus faecalis isolates in intra- and interspecies matings J. Antimicrob. Chemother., May 1, 2007; 59(5): 1005 - 1009. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				S. Y. Park, K. M. Kim, J. H. Lee, S. J. Seo, and I. H. Lee Extracellular Gelatinase of Enterococcus faecalis Destroys a Defense System in Insect Hemolymph and Human Serum Infect. Immun., April 1, 2007; 75(4): 1861 - 1869. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				E. Lepage, S. Brinster, C. Caron, C. Ducroix-Crepy, L. Rigottier-Gois, G. Dunny, C. Hennequet-Antier, and P. Serror Comparative Genomic Hybridization Analysis of Enterococcus faecalis: Identification of Genes Absent from Food Strains. J. Bacteriol., October 1, 2006; 188(19): 6858 - 6868. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				E. Bittencourt de Marques and S. Suzart Occurrence of virulence-associated genes in clinical Enterococcus faecalis strains isolated in Londrina, Brazil J. Med. Microbiol., November 1, 2004; 53(11): 1069 - 1073. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]