Nowadays, Enterococcus faecium is one of the leading nosocomial pathogens worldwide. Strains causing clinical infections or hospital outbreaks are enriched in the enterococcal surface protein (Esp) encoding ICEEfm1 mobile genetic element. Previous studies showed that Esp is involved in biofilm formation, endocarditis and urinary tract infections. In this study, we characterized the role of the ...

Enterococcus faecalis harbors a virulence-associated surface protein encoded by the esp gene. This gene has been shown to be part of a 150-kb putative pathogenicity island. A gene similar to esp has recently been found in Enterococcus faecium isolates recovered from hospitalized patients. In the present study we analyzed the polymorphism in the esp gene of E. faecium, and we investigated the as...

The enterococcal surface protein, Esp, is a high-molecular-weight surface protein of unknown function whose frequency is significantly increased among infection-derived Enterococcus faecalis isolates. In this work, a global structural similarity was found between Bap, a biofilm-associated protein of Staphylococcus aureus, and Esp. Analysis of the relationship between the presence of the Esp-enc...

he aim of this study was to estimate the reproducibility related to the presence and to the measurements of elongated styloid process (ESP), based on panoramic radiographs and the prevalence of ESP. Experimental design: one hundred sixty six panoramic radiographs were used, from edentulous patients from the Radiology Clinic files, at Araraquara Dental School, Unesp, during a four-year period. O...

We have identified a novel omega-hydroxy-alkanedicarboxylic acid, ESP 55016, that favorably alters serum lipid variables in obese female Zucker (fa/fa) rats. ESP 55016 reduced serum non-HDL-cholesterol (non-HDL-C), triglyceride, and nonesterified fatty acid levels while increasing serum HDL-C and beta-hydroxybutyrate levels in a dose-dependent manner. ESP 55016 reduced fasting serum insulin and...

Although the course of English for Specific Purposes (ESP) is increasingly popular in China, ESP courses today are no more than teaching specific words and phrases and translating texts following the traditional grammar-translation method. With China’s active participation in the international affairs, more importance is expected to be attached to the design of ESP courses that can be facilitat...

Staphylococcus aureus exhibits a strong capacity to attach to abiotic or biotic surfaces and form biofilms, which lead to chronic infections. We have recently shown that Esp, a serine protease secreted by commensal Staphylococcus epidermidis, disassembles preformed biofilms of S. aureus and inhibits its colonization. Esp was expected to degrade protein determinants of the adhesive and cohesive ...

The enterococcal surface protein, Esp, originally found in Enterococcus faecalis, has been associated with increased virulence, colonization, and biofilm formation (2, 3, 5, 6). Recently, a variant esp gene was found in Enterococcus faecium isolates from humans (L. Baldassarri, L. Burtuccini, M. G. Ammendolia, G. Gherardi, and R. Creti, Letter, Lancet 357:1802, 2001; R. J. Willems, W. Homan, J....