Virulence Factors in Enterococcus Species

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The study investigates virulence factors in Enterococcus species using phenotypic and molecular methods.

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This research focuses on understanding the pathogenicity of Enterococcus.

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Enterococci are opportunistic pathogens causing severe infections such as urinary tract infections, surgical wound infections, bacteremia, and bacterial endocarditis.

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These infections are associated with virulence determinants like aggregation substance (asa1), hemolysin/cytolysin (cylA), gelatinase (gelE), enterococcal surface protein (esp), and hyaluronidase (hyl).

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The study analyzed 157 Enterococcus isolates from tertiary care hospitals.

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Virulence factors such as gelatinase, cytolysin production, and biofilm formation were tested using standard biochemical methods and multiplex PCR.

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Enterococcus faecium was the predominant species in the study.

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84 out of 157 isolates (53.5%) were identified as Enterococcus faecium, while 73 isolates (46.5%) were Enterococcus faecalis.

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Hemolysin and gelatinase were the predominant virulence factors observed phenotypically.

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38.85% of isolates were positive for hemolysin, and 42% were moderate biofilm producers.

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E. faecalis carried multiple virulent genes compared to E. faecium.

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E. faecalis isolates were strong biofilm producers, while E. faecium isolates were moderate biofilm producers.

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6 out of 16 isolates were positive for cylA + hemolysin.

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7 out of 16 isolates were positive for gelE + gelatinase, esp + biofilm, and asa1 + biofilm.

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The study highlights the importance of virulence genes in Enterococcus pathogenicity.

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Virulence genes like cylA, esp, asa1, hyl, and gelE contribute to the severity of infections caused by Enterococcus species.

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The study used multiplex PCR for detecting virulence genes.

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This method ensured accurate identification of cylA, esp, asa1, hyl, and gelE genes in Enterococcus isolates.

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Biofilm formation is a key virulence determinant in Enterococcus species.

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Biofilm production was observed in 42% of the isolates, contributing to their pathogenicity.