Probiotics have shown positive effects on gastrointestinal diseases; they have barrier-modulating effects and change the inflammatory response towards pathogens in studies in vitro. The aim of this investigation has been to examine the response of intestinal epithelial cells to Enterococcus faecium NCIMB 10415 (E. faecium), a probiotic positively affecting diarrhea incidence in piglets, and two...

The emergence of vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE) has been associated with an increase in multidrug-resistant nosocomial infections. Here, we report the 2.614-Mb genome sequence of the Enterococcus faecium commensal isolate E1002, which will be instrumental in further understanding the determinants of the commensal and pathogenic lifestyle of E. faecium.

Multiple drug-resistant enterococci have become a significant cause of nosocomial infection (9, 11, 12). In particular, there are limited options for the treatment of enterococcal infection caused by high-level glycopeptide-resistant enterococci (9, 11). Infection or colonization by vancomycin-resistant enterococci was first reported in France (10) and the U.K. (14). Since then, vancomycin-resi...

Vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE) have been reported to be present in humans, chickens, and pigs in Malaysia. In the present study, representative samples of VRE isolated from these populations were examined for similarities and differences by using the multilocus sequence typing (MLST) method. Housekeeping genes of Enterococcus faecium (n = 14) and Enterococcus faecalis (n = 11) isolates ...

The presence, distribution and expression of cassette chromosome recombinase (ccr) genes, which are homologous to the staphylococcal ccrAB genes and are designated ccrAB(Ent) genes, were examined in enterococcal isolates (n=421) representing 13 different species. A total of 118 (28 %) isolates were positive for ccrAB(Ent) genes by PCR, and a number of these were confirmed by Southern hybridizat...

BACKGROUND The lipopeptide antibiotic, daptomycin (DAP) interacts with the bacterial cell membrane (CM). Development of DAP resistance during therapy in a clinical strain of Enterococcus faecalis was associated with mutations in genes encoding enzymes involved in cell envelope homeostasis and phospholipid metabolism. Here we characterized changes in CM phospholipid profiles associated with deve...

BACKGROUND Enterococci are indigenous flora of the gastro-intestinal tracts of animals and humans. Recently, interest in two major species, E. faecium and E. faecalis, has heightened because of their ability to cause serious infections and their intrinsic resistance to antimicrobials. This study was aimed at determining the prevalence of E. faecium and E. faecalis in human faecal samples and ev...

The ability of antibiotic resistant E. faecalis and E. faecium isolated from food to form biofilm at different temperatures in the absence or presence of 0.75% glucose was evaluated. A synergistic effect on biofilm at 10 °C, 28 °C, 37 °C and 45 °C and glucose was observed for E. faecalis and E. faecium.