Aggregation substance (AS) of Enterococcus faecalis which is encoded by so-called sex pheromone plasmids enables the bacteria to bind to in vitro-cultured pig kidney tubular cells. It is reported that the presence of AS is not of pivotal importance for the ability of E. faecalis to cause infective endocarditis (EN). The lines of evidence for this are twofold: 1) sex pheromone plasmids and, therefore, the gene for AS were not present more often in epidemiologically unrelated strains of E. faecalis isolated from human cases of EN than in isolates from well-water (26 vs. 18%); 2) the presence of the adhesin did not correlate with the establishment of EN in an animal (rat) model. The data are discussed with respect to the specificity of interaction of AS with eukaryotic cells and the results of other studies.

Adhesins, Bacterial↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Sex pheromones and gene transfer in Enterococcus faecalis.

Cell-density-dependent regulatory controls have been recognized in recent years to play major roles with regard to many microorganisms. In gram-negative bacteria very often N-acyl-homoserine lactones act as 'quorum-sensing' regulators, whilst gram-positive bacteria mainly use peptides to monitor their cell density. The so-called sex pheromone system of Enterococcus faecalis is just one example of the latter type of regulation. The system is a complex one; in this communication, I will discuss in particular the potential role of the peptides to also act as virulence factors.

Animals↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Enterococci.

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Cross Infection↗