Characterization of enterococci of animal and environmental origin using phenotypic methods and comparison with PCR based methods

Abstract

ABSTRACT:The purpose of this study was to evaluate the discriminatory power of ddl-PCR (D-alanin-D-alanin ligase PCR) and ITS-PCR (Internal Transcribed Spacer PCR) for accurate identification of enterococcal species in comparison with phenotypic assays. Results confirm previous published data that ddl-PCR simple approach allows rapid identification of two the most frequently isolated spp. E. faecalis and E. faecium. When identification points towards other enterococci then that mentioned above, the ITS-PCR seems to be suitable complementary assay. Correct identification of enterococci to species level is important because of different spp. susceptibility to some clinically important antibiotics. For example, it is necessary to distinquish acquired vancomycin resistance from inherent one that is less epidemiologically important. Additionally, both methods can be valuable in epidemiological studies following enterococcus resistance gene transfer within human population.

Diversity and Antimicrobial Properties of Lactic Acid Bacteria Isolated from Rhizosphere of Olive Trees and Desert Truffles of Tunisia

“…In fact, E. faecium genome is extremely diverse [40] showing a high plasticity, due to the abundance of mobile genetic elements [41]. This result is in accordance with data published by Naïmi et al [42], Park et al [43], and Brtkova et al [44], which reports the ITS region variability for E. faecium species. Together with W. confusa , this species was found to be the most isolated bacterium from rhizospheric samples (Table 1).…”

“…Together with W. confusa , this species was found to be the most isolated bacterium from rhizospheric samples (Table 1). Although enterococci are normal inhabitants of the human and animal gastrointestinal tract [44, 45], they are widely distributed in nature due to their high adaptation to various environmental conditions such as food, plants, water, and soil [46]. Moreover, the isolation of bacteria belonging to the genus Weissella was already reported either from soil [19] or plants [17].…”

The usefulness of biotyping in the determination of selected pathogenicity determinants in Streptococcus mutans

“…In a study conducted by Brtkova et al [ 18 ], biochemical assays from Lachema, Pliva and bioMerieux were compared with genetic methods for Enterococcus species isolated from animals. Identification carried out with the use of the En-coccus assay (Pliva, Lachema) resulted in the classification of 47 species, out of a total of 97, as Enterococcus faecium ; 20 randomly selected samples identified as E. faecium using the En-coccus assay, were identified again using the API20Strep assay (bioMerieux), and for 8 species, identification was not confirmed.…”

“…The differences between biochemical assays were explained by differences in the number of specific substrates: the En-coccus assay contains only 8 sugars, while the API20 Strep contains 20, which allows for better discrimination [ 18 ]. Teles et al compared commercial API Rapid 32 ID Strep and Vitek 2 in the context of the identification of Streptococcus viridans .…”

Enteroccoccus in Water, Sediment and Clams in a Tropical Environment,Maracaibo Lake, Venezuela

“…They are important members of gut communities in many animals, and opportunistic pathogens that cause millions of infections annually. They can be found in soil, water, and plants [1]. When they are found in water it is associated with fecal matter.…”