Relation of Enterococcus faecalis and Enterococcus faecium isolates from foods and clinical specimens

Clinical Enterococcus faecalis (n=65) and Enterococcus faecium (n=12) blood isolates from three Swiss hospitals were characterized with testing for resistance to antimicrobial agents, pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE), and the occurrence of virulence factors. Phenotypic determination of resistance to antimicrobial agents resulted in 20% of E. faecalis isolates showing a triple resistance against chloramphenicol, tetracycline, erythromycin, and seven isolates (two E. faecalis and five E. faecium) exhibiting a multiresistance against five or more antimicrobials. One isolate each of E. faecalis and E. faecium showed vancomycin resistance. All isolates contained at least two of the nine tested virulence genes (agg, gelE, cyl, esp, efaAfs, efaAfm, cpd, cob, and ccf). Phylogenetic analysis of the PFGE profiles identified several small clusters within E. faecalis isolates, one of which included isolates of all three hospitals. Fifty-six (73%) isolates occurred as unique, patient-specific clones. Several PFGE types were associated with shared features in their resistance patterns, indicating spread between and within wards. Finally, enterococci from this study and previous isolates from cheeses were examined by PFGE typing. The comparison of PFGE profiles from human and food isolates resulted in clusters of genetically strong related strains, which suggests high similarities of the enterococcal community composition of these two environments. A possible spread of the enterococcal isolates through the food supply cannot be excluded.     

自然发酵乳中粪肠球菌和屎肠球菌的4种鉴定方法的比较

采用传统生理生化鉴定方法,16S rRNA基因序列分析技术,16S-23S rRNA间区序列多态性分析技术,变性梯度凝胶电泳技术(DGGE),对分离于自然发酵乳中的9株粪肠球菌和6株屎肠球菌进行鉴定,并对4种鉴定方法进行比较和评价。结果表明,16S-23S rRNA间区序列多态性分析技术和DGGE技术不但可以快速、精确地区分粪肠球菌和屎肠球菌,而且能够将粪肠球菌和屎肠球菌种内的不同基因亚型区分开,而传统生理生化鉴定方法和16S rRNA基因序列分析技术较以上两种方法区分效果略差。     

粪肠球菌(Enterococcus faecalis)和屎肠球菌(Enterococcus faecium)产生物胺交互作用研究

粪肠球菌和屎肠球菌是发酵香肠中常检出的2种主要的产酪胺和苯乙胺微生物。将粪肠球菌和屎肠球菌按照不同比例进行混合接种培养,发现在48h连续培养过程中,当粪肠球菌和屎肠球菌以1∶9比例混和接种培养时,体系pH值、细菌数量和酪胺生成量均显著低于其他各处理组;粪肠球菌有很强的产苯乙胺能力而屎肠球菌产苯乙胺能力较弱,当两者混合接种培养时,各混合体系的产苯乙胺水平相当,屎肠球菌产苯乙胺能力不受影响,而粪肠球菌产苯乙胺能力显著降低。     

产酪胺粪肠球菌和屎肠球菌PCR检测方法的建立

目的：建立快速简便地检测产酪胺粪肠球菌(Enterococcus faecalis)和屎肠球菌(Enterococcus faecium)的PCR方法。方法：将粪肠球菌和屎肠球菌的酪氨酸脱羧酶基因与GenBank数据库中已公布的细菌的酪氨酸脱羧酶基因进行比对,根据它们的非保守序列,分别设计粪肠球菌和屎肠球菌的特异性引物,建立检测产酪胺粪肠球菌和屎肠球菌的PCR方法。结果：根据非保守序列,分别设计粪肠球菌和屎肠球菌的特异性引物,用27株细菌对这两对引物分别进行反复验证,结果显示,所设计的两对引物都只对其目的菌株产生特异性扩增,对其他菌株没有扩增,方法的检测限可达到1.0×102CFU/mL。结论：本方法具有良好的特异性、稳定性和灵敏性,可用作食品中产酪胺粪肠球菌和屎肠球菌的检测。     

Enterococcus faecalis and Enterococcus faecium isolates from milk,beef, and chicken and their antibiotic resistance

The occurrence and antibiotic resistance of enterococci, especially Enterococcus faecalis and Enterococcus faecium, in milk, beef, and chicken in Gaborone, Botswana, were studied. Enterococci were isolated from these sources with the use of bile esculin agar and identified with API 20 Strep kits. Antibiotic resistance was determined by the disk diffusion method. The antibiotics tested were vancomycin, teicoplanin, ampicillin, tetracycline, and cephalothin. Among the 1,467 enterococci isolated from the samples, E. faecalis (46.1%) and E. faecium (29.0%) were found to be the predominant species. Other enterococcal species made up 25% of the isolates. More than 96 and 97% of the E. faecalis and E. faecium isolates, respectively, were found to be resistant to ampicillin. Almost 34, 27.3, and 22.4% of the E. faecalis isolates from milk, beef, and chicken, respectively, were also resistant to cephalothin. The percentages of E. faecium isolates that were found to be resistant to cephalothin were 32.8, 16.9, and 17.3% for milk, beef, and chicken, respectively. Resistance to vancomycin was widespread. It was found that 18.8, 7.8. and 13.1% of the E. faecalis isolates from milk, beef, and chicken samples, respectively, were resistant to vancomycin. In contrast, 32.8, 24.7, and 30.7% of the E. faecium isolates from milk, beef, and chicken samples, respectively, were resistant to vancomycin. Isolates that were resistant to multiple drugs were found in relatively large numbers.     

大蒜精油对屎肠球菌和粪肠球菌产苯乙胺和酪胺的影响

本试验采用双倍试管稀释法,测定大蒜精油分别对高产苯乙胺和酪胺的E.faecium和E.faecalis的最低抑菌浓度(MIC)和最低杀菌浓度(MBC);并利用高效液相色谱法测定不同浓度的大蒜精油对两株高产苯乙胺和酪胺菌株的影响,从而明确大蒜精油对其产生物胺能力的抑制作用。结果表明:大蒜精油对供试菌株都具有较强的抑菌活性,大蒜精油对E.faecium的最大抑制率可达48.20%,对E.faecalis的最大抑制率为52.41%,且抑菌效果随大蒜精油浓度的增大而逐渐增强;在大蒜精油的添加量为1/2 MIC时,大蒜精油对E.faecium和E.faecalis的生长具有抑制作用;当大蒜精油浓度为0.025%时,能够显著(p0.05)降低供试菌株产苯乙胺和酪胺的含量,苯乙胺含量与空白组相比降低了26.61%,酪胺的降低了15.54%。说明大蒜精油对高产酪胺和苯乙胺的菌株具有显著(p0.05)抑制效果,从而减少了酪胺和苯乙胺的生成。     

阿魏酸对粪肠球菌和屎肠球菌产酪胺机制的影响

摘 要：研究阿魏酸对高产酪胺的粪肠球菌XL-M66和屎肠球菌XL-M76生长、基因表达以及产酪胺的影响。利用反转录实时荧光定量聚合酶链式反应技术分析2 株菌在阿魏酸作用下的酪氨酸脱羧途径相关基因表达情况,并使用高效液相色谱法检测2 株肠球菌培养48 h期间酪胺积累量。结果表明：未添加酪氨酸底物时,阿魏酸对酪氨酸脱羧酶（tyrosine decarboxylase,tyrDC）和酪氨酸/酪胺透性酶（tyrosine/tyramine permease,tyrP）基因的转录影响不大（P＞0.05）,但能促进酪氨酰-tRNA合成酶（tyrosyl-tRNA synthetase,tyrS）基因的转录（P＜0.05）。反之存在酪氨酸时,阿魏酸对tyrS基因表达的影响不大（P＞0.05）,却能显著抑制tyrDC和tyrP基因的表达（P＜0.05）。同时,阿魏酸能显著抑制粪肠球菌XL-M66和屎肠球菌XL-M76的生长（P＜0.05）,最终使得酪胺产量分别降低27.0%和19.9%。     

Dissemination of Enterococcus faecalis and Enterococcus faecium in a Ricotta Processing Plant and Evaluation of Pathogenic and Antibiotic Resistance Profiles

In this work, the sources of contamination by Enterococcus spp. in a ricotta processing line were evaluated. The isolated strains were tested for virulence genes (gelE, cylA,B, M, esp, agg, ace, efaA, vanB), expression of virulence factors (hemolysin and gelatinase), and the resistance to 10 different antibiotics. Enterococcus faecium and Enterococcus faecalis were subjected to discriminatory identification by intergenic spacer region (ITS)‐polymerase chain reaction and sequencing of the ITS region. The results showed that Enterococcus spp. was detected in the raw materials, environment samples and the final product. None of the 107 Enterococcus isolates were completely free from all virulence genes considered. A fraction of 21.5% of the isolates containing all of the genes of the cylA, B, M operon also expressed β‐hemolysis. Most of the isolates showed the gelE gene, but only 9.3% were able to hydrolyze gelatin. In addition, 23.5% of the observed Enterococcus isolates had the vanB gene but were susceptible to vancomycin in vitro. The dissemination of antibiotic‐resistant enterococci was revealed in this study: 19.3% of the E. faecium samples and 78.0% of the E. faecalis samples were resistant to at least one of the antibiotics tested. Sequencing of region discriminated 5 and 7 distinct groups among E. faecalis and E. faecium, respectively. Although some similarity was observed among some of the isolates, all E. faecalis and E. faecium isolates had genetic differences both in the ITS region and in the virulence profile, which makes them different from each other.     

粪肠球菌的群体感应现象

研究粪肠球菌4-3-2在不同菌体密度下细菌素H抑菌活性的变化规律,并确定了阈值为1/5TPY培养基,此条件下没有抑菌活性;通过在正常密度和阈值密度两种培养条件下各自加入不同浓度（105、106、107、108CFU/mL）的溶液后再发酵的方法,证明发酵液中含有信号分子,且其为影响细菌素H抑菌活性的主要因素。      

In vitro characterisation of probiotic properties of Enterococcus faecium and Enterococcus durans strains isolated from raw milk and traditional dairy products

In this study, some probiotic characteristics such as antimicrobial activity, vancomycin resistance, growth ability at pH, resistance to bile salts, bile salt deconjugation and hydrophobicity of 30 Enterococcus faecium and Enterococcus durans strains isolated and identified from raw milk and various dairy products were investigated. According to the study results, antimicrobial activity profiling, pH and bile salt resistance and bile salt deconjugation ability of Enterococcus strains varied depending on the species and strains and all the strains showed resistance to the tested bile salt concentrations. It was concluded that the E. faecium and E. durans strains tested showed probiotic characteristics and have the potential to be used in food production.     

两株粪肠球菌的安全性评价

乳酸菌KLDS6.0610和KLDS6.0611是两株分离于传统乳制品的粪肠球菌,这两株菌均会产生高效抗李斯特菌的细菌素,而且产生的细菌素具有良好的加工稳定性。本实验主要是评价这两株菌的安全性,为其实际应用提供可靠的理论依据。通过对两株菌的耐药性、有害代谢产物、机体指标、急性毒理实验以及溶血性和易位实验得到:急性毒理实验中,动物的体重变化正常而且主要脏器无异常;两株菌对大部分常见的抗生素都没有耐药性,只是对庆大霉素具有抗性,不含有可转移的质粒;而且菌株的生长代谢过程中不会产生硝基还原酶、胆盐羧化酶和氨基脱羧酶;谷胱甘肽和丙二醛含量基本正常,不会产生溶血和易位现象。通过对两株菌的安全性评价可知乳酸菌KLDS6.0610和KLDS6.0611是安全的。      

屎肠球菌源谷氨酸脱羧酶的制备及其酶学性质研究

为了开发谷氨酸脱羧酶(glutamate decarboxylase,GAD),以Enterococcus faecium为gadB基因供体、纤维素结合域(cellulose-binding domain,CBD)为亲和标签,利用内含肽DnaB自剪切作用分离GAD,对融合酶CBD-DnaB-GAD的构建、表达、GAD纯...     

蒙氏肠球菌Sna的抗氧化及降胆固醇特性

目的从雉鸡嗉囊分离得到一株生长良好的乳酸菌Sna,测试其抗氧化活性和降胆固醇的能力和模式。方法菌株鉴定通过菌落、菌体形态、生化试验和16S rRNA序列分析。抗氧化和降胆固醇作用通过体外实验完成。结果乳酸菌Sna确认为蒙氏肠球菌。当菌体浓度为10~9 CFU/mL时,菌株Sna对羟自由基、DPPH自由基和超氧阴离子自由基的清除率分别为78.8%、34.9%和43.3%。单位细胞干重去除胆固醇量与菌体生长有一定的相关性,在培养36 h单位细胞干重能清除最大的胆固醇量5.14μg/mg。对比试验显示生长的细胞单位干重去除的胆固醇量达到4.96μg/mg,但热杀死的和休眠的细胞去除胆固醇量分别为4.39μg/mg和4.23μg/mg。结论菌株Sna具有抗氧化作用和胆固醇的清除能力;菌株Sna去除胆固醇可能的机制是菌体对胆固醇的吸附及菌体在生长过程中对胆固醇的吸收利用。该菌株具有添加到食品中来抵抗氧化作用和降低血液胆固醇的潜能。     

Enterococcus faecium and Enterococcus durans isolated from cheese: Survival in the presence of medications under simulated gastrointestinal conditions and adhesion properties

In this study, we evaluated the survival of Enterococcus faecium and Enterococcus durans, isolated from cheese, in the presence of medications and under simulated in vitro gastrointestinal conditions. The presence of genes encoding virulence factors, the susceptibility to antimicrobial agents, and adhesion properties were also assessed. Enterococcus faecium and E. durans both exhibited resistance to most of the tested medications but showed a large sensitivity to analgesics and antihypertensives; they also showed wide susceptibility to antimicrobial agents. Enterococcus durans SJRP29 had greater resistance to the presence of medications in comparison with the probiotic Lactobacillus acidophilus La-5. The strains, except for E. durans SJRP05, did not harbor virulence genes. Enterococcus durans SJRP14, SJRP17, and SJRP26 were sensitive to all tested antimicrobial agents. Enterococcus faecium was more stable during the simulation of gastrointestinal tract and showed greater viability. At the end of the assay, except for E. durans SJRP17, all strains showed high viability (>7 log cfu/mL). Enterococcus durans SJRP29 stood out from the other strains and was selected for further evaluation; it tolerated up to 3.0% NaCl at 30 and 37°C, besides having good adhesion properties (high values of auto-aggregation, co-aggregation, and hydrophobicity). Additionally, the microorganism did not show bile salt hydrolase activity or mucin degradation. These results encourage carrying out additional tests to evaluate the probiotic features by using in vitro dynamic models and in vivo tests before applying these strains to a food system.     

Occurrence and spread of antibiotic resistances in Enterococcus faecium

Enterococci are the second to third most important bacterial genus in hospital infections. Especially Enterococcus (E.) faecium possesses a broad spectrum of natural and acquired antibiotic resistances which are presented in detail in this paper. From medical point of view, the transferable resistances to glycopeptides (e.g., vancomycin, VAN, or teicoplanin, TPL) and streptogramins (e.g., quinupristin/dalfopristin, Q/D) in enterococci are of special interest. The VanA type of enterococcal glycopeptide resistance is the most important one (VAN-r, TPL-r); its main reservoir is E. faecium. Glycopeptide-resistant E. faecium (GREF) can be found in hospitals and outside of them, namely in European commercial animal husbandry in which the glycopeptide avoparcin (AVO) was used as growth promoter in the past. There are identical types of the vanA gene clusters in enterococci from different ecological origins (faecal samples of animals, animal feed, patients in hospitals, persons in the community, waste water samples). Obviously, across the food chain (by GREF-contaminated meat products), these multiple-resistant bacteria or their vanA gene clusters can reach humans. In hospital infections, widespread epidemic-virulent E. faecium isolates of the same clone with or without glycopeptide resistance can occur; these strains often harbour different plasmids and the esp gene. This indicates that hospital-adapted epidemic-virulent E. faecium strains have picked up the vanA gene cluster after they were already widely spread. The streptogramin virginiamycin was also used as feed additive in commercial animal husbandry in Europe for more than 20 years, and it created reservoirs for streptogramin-resistant E. faecium (SREF). In 1998/1999, SREF could be isolated in Germany from waste water of sewage treatment plants, from faecal samples and meat products of animals that were fed virginiamycin (cross resistance to Q/D), from stools of humans in the community, and from clinical samples. These isolations of SREF occurred in a time before the streptogramin combination Q/D was introduced for therapeutic purposes in German hospitals in May 2000, while other streptogramins were not used in German clinics. This seems to indicate that the origin of these SREF or their streptogramin resistance gene(s) originated from other sources outside the hospitals, probably from commercial animal husbandry. In order to prevent the dissemination of multiple antibiotic-resistant enterococci or their transferable resistance genes, a prudent use of antibiotics is necessary in human and veterinary medicine, and in animal husbandry.     

鹑鸡肠球菌m661的抗氧化、降胆固醇作用

经厌氧培养,从猪胃液中分离得到1株生长良好的肠球菌m661,菌株能产乳酸、革兰氏染色阳性、接触酶阴性。经系统发育分析,结合菌落形态、细胞形态、生化反应实验,确定菌株m661为鹑鸡肠球菌。鹑鸡肠球菌m661具有抗氧化活性,对羟自由基(?OH)、DPPH自由基和超氧阴离子自由基(O2－?)的清除率与细胞浓度呈正相关。在细胞浓度为5×108CFU/mL时,菌株m661对?OH、DPPH自由基和O2－?的清除率分别为1.58%、36.6%和57.1%。菌株m661还具有清除培养基中34.4%的胆固醇、产生89.9mg/L苯乳酸等益生特性。菌株m661可作为益生菌进行开发利用。     

Preliminary characterization of bacteriocins from Lactococcus lactis,Enterococcus faecium and Enterococcus mundtii strains isolated from turbot (Psetta maxima)

The aim of this work was the characterization of new strains of lactic acid bacteria (LAB) from farmed fish and with potential application as biopreservatives against both Listeria monocytogenes and Staphylococcus aureus. Twenty-five strains of LAB isolated from the muscle of farmed turbot were investigated. Genetic identification of the bacteriocin-producing LAB strains was performed by means of a PCR method using novel BAL1/BAL2 16S ribosomal-RNA-targeted primers. Maximum bacteriocin production by Lactococcus lactis ssp. lactis USC-39, Enterococcus faecium USC-46 and Enterococcus mundtii USC-51 was detected in the stationary phase of growth. Both acidification and the production of hydrogen peroxide by LAB were ruled out as the source of the inhibition. In contrast, the antimicrobial activity of all three LAB strains was inactivated by the addition of proteinase K, thus confirming the proteinaceous nature of the inhibition. The activity against L. monocytogenes was maintained in the 3.5–5.5 or 3.5–6.5 pH range, depending on the LAB strain. Likewise, inhibition of S. aureus strains was observed in the 3.5–4.5 and in the 3.5–5.5 pH ranges, depending on the LAB strain and on the S. aureus strain tested. Bacteriocin activity was stable in all three strains after heating the cell-free extract for 60 min at 100 °C, or even for 15 min at 121 °C, in all the three LAB strains. The acidic and heat-resistant bacteriocins produced by the three LAB strains isolated from turbot, able to inhibit the growth of both L. monocytogenes and S. aureus may find application as biopreservatives in fermented and/or heated food products.