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Influence of isolate origin and presence of various genes on biofilm formation by Enterococcus faecium

Sam Almohamad1, Sudha R Somarajan, Kavindra V Singh

  • 1Jordan University of Science and Technology, Irbid, Jordan.

FEMS Microbiology Letters
|March 11, 2014
PubMed

Insights

Clinical Enterococcus faecium isolates form more biofilm than fecal isolates, linked to the empfm pilus operon. Virulence genes were more common in clinical strains but not correlated with biofilm formation.

Area of Science:

  • Microbiology
  • Infectious Diseases
  • Molecular Biology

Background:

  • Enterococcus faecium is a significant cause of hospital-acquired infections.
  • Biofilm formation is crucial for the establishment of many Enterococcus faecium infections.
  • Understanding factors influencing biofilm production is key to controlling nosocomial infections.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate biofilm formation in Enterococcus faecium isolates from various sources.
  • To determine the association between the empfm operon and biofilm production.
  • To explore the relationship between 16 putative virulence genes and biofilm formation.

Main Methods:

  • Collection and characterization of Enterococcus faecium isolates from clinical and fecal sources.
  • Quantification of biofilm formation by isolates.
  • Detection of the empfm operon and 16 putative virulence genes using molecular methods.

Main Results:

  • Clinical Enterococcus faecium isolates exhibited significantly greater biofilm formation compared to fecal isolates.
  • The presence of the empfm (Enterococcus faecium pilus) operon correlated positively with the amount of biofilm formed.
  • While clinical isolates had higher prevalence of virulence genes, no correlation was found with biofilm production.

Conclusions:

  • The empfm operon is a key factor associated with enhanced biofilm formation in clinical Enterococcus faecium isolates.
  • Biofilm formation capacity differs between clinical and community-associated Enterococcus faecium.
  • Virulence gene profiles alone do not predict biofilm-forming potential in these isolates.
Keywords:
Enterococcus faeciumbiofilmvirulence

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