Virulence determinants and pathogenicity in Enterococcus faecalis and E. faecium
1 Academic Unit of Biological and Pharmaceutical Chemical Sciences, Autonomous University of Nayarit, Tepic 63000, Mexico.
2 Research and Postgraduate Secretary, Center for Innovation and Technology Transfer (CENITT), Autonomous University of Nayarit, Tepic 63000,
Mexico.
Review Article
Magna Scientia Advanced Research and Reviews, 2024, 12(02), 144–151
Article DOI: 10.30574/msarr.2024.12.2.0190
Publication history:
Received on 11 October 2024; revised on 16 November 2024; accepted on 19 November 2024
Abstract:
Enterococci are Gram-positive bacteria that inhabit the gastrointestinal tract of many organisms, including humans. These bacteria can easily adapt to their surrounding environment, even under stress conditions that can be lethal to other microorganisms. Among the species described in this genus, faecalis and faecium stand out, considered one of the main causes of nosocomial infections due to their ability to adapt and resist in clinical environments. They are recognized as opportunistic pathogens that can cause a variety of serious infections, such as endocarditis, urinary tract infections, and bacteremia, especially in immunocompromised patients or those with invasive medical devices. Recently, it has been observed that Enterococcus presents an increase in resistance to antibiotics, heavy metals, as well as external environmental conditions such as heat and desiccation. This resistance has been directly related to the capacity to form biofilm, an organized microbial ecosystem that makes it almost impermeable and serves as a shield for the bacteria. In addition, biofilm has been linked to bacterial virulence due to the presence of virulence factors. Therefore, researchers are interested in conducting research on the correlation between biofilm formation, virulence factors and antimicrobial resistance, which is essential to understanding the pathogenesis of these infections and improving treatment strategies.
Keywords:
Enterococcus faecalis; E. faecium; Biofilms; Virulence factor; Antibiotic resistance
Full text article in PDF:
Copyright information:
Copyright © 2024 Author(s) retain the copyright of this article. This article is published under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Liscense 4.0