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Updated: Aug 19, 2026

In Vitro Assay of Bacterial Adhesion onto Mammalian Epithelial Cells
Published on: May 16, 2011
In vitro adhesive properties and virulence factors of Enterococcusfaecalis strains
Christine Archimbaud1, Nathan Shankar, Christiane Forestier
1Laboratoire de Bactériologie-Virologie, Université d'Auvergne, Faculté de Pharmacie, Clermont-Ferrand, France. Christine.ARCHIMBAUD@u-clermont1.fr
Abstract:
Twenty-nine Enterococcus faecalis isolates from patients with endocarditis or bacteremia or from stools of healthy volunteers were investigated for their ability to adhere to Int-407 and Girardi heart cell lines and for the presence of known enterococcal virulence factors. Eight strains (27.6%) adhered predominantly to Int-407 cells. The adherence of enterococci was enhanced by proteolytic digestion, suggesting that some cell binding components become surface-exposed after treatment with trypsin. The occurrence of known potential virulence factors of enterococci among these strains was determined and was as follows: enterococcal surface protein (72.4%), gelatinase (58.6%), aggregation substance (48.3%) and cytolysin (17.2%). Bacterial adherence was not significantly associated with any of these virulence factors.
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