Prevalence of putative virulence factors and antimicrobial susceptibility of Enterococcus faecalis isolates from patients with dental Diseases

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>This study investigated the prevalence of <it>Enterococcus faecalis</it>, its putative virulence factors and antimicrobial susceptibility in individuals with and without dental diseases. A total of 159 oral rinse specimens were collected from patients (n = 109) suffering from dental diseases and healthy controls (n = 50).</p> <p>Results</p> <p><it>E. faecalis </it>was detected using only culture in 8/109 (7.3%) of the patients with various types of dental diseases, whereas no <it>E. faecalis </it>was found in the healthy controls weather using both culture and PCR. Phenotype characterizations of the 8 <it>E. faecalis </it>isolates indicated that 25% of the isolates produced haemolysin and 37.5% produced gelatinase. Most important virulence genes; collagen binding protein (<it>ace</it>) and endocarditis antigen (<it>efaA</it>) were present in all 8 <it>E. faecalis </it>isolates, while haemolysin activator gene (<it>cylA</it>) was detected only in 25% of isolates, and all isolates were negative for <it>esp </it>gene. All <it>E. faecalis </it>isolates were 100% susceptible to ampicillin, chloramphenicol, ciprofloxacin, vancomycin, and teicoplanin, and to less extent to erythromycin (62.5%).</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>This study shows that all <it>E. faecalis </it>isolates were recovered only from patients with dental diseases especially necrotic pulps, and all isolates carried both collagen binding protein and endocarditis antigen genes and highly susceptible to frequently used antimicrobial drugs in Jordan.</p

Persistence of endodontic infection and Enterococcus faecalis: Role of horizontal gene transfer

The endodontic literature states that a diversity of microorganisms is implicated in cause of root canal infection. There may be a possibility that the actual existence of a specific species is not as imperative as the presence of specific virulent strains of that organism. There are genetic modifications in the cell that furnish an organism with greater pathogenicity. Primary and persistent endodontic infections have difference in their micro-flora. Primary infections usually comprises of mostly anaerobic microbiota whereas multidrug resistant Enterococcus faecalis has been linked to persistent endodontic disease. Horizontal gene transfer is a mechanism that leads to a varied number of traits including acquired antibiotic resistance. Horizontal gene transfer takes place by three processes transduction, conjugation and transformation. The present review expatiates on the mechanism of horizontal gene transfer of acquired antibiotic resistance in E. faecalis