Table 4.

Prevalence [n, (%)] of the virulence factors in different Enterococcus species isolated from racing pigeons

Enterococcus spp.	No. of isolates	Genes encoding virulence factors
		asa1 (aggregation substance)	gelE (gelatinase)	hyl (hyaluronidase)	efaA (endocarditis antigen)	ace (collagen-binding protein)	esp (enterococcal surface protein)	cylA (cytolysin)
E. columbae	50	18 (36%)	21 (42%)	0 (0%)	12 (24%)	14 (28%)	2 (4%)	9 (18%)
E. hirae	30	8 (26.7%)	8 (26.7%)	0 (0%)	7 (23.3%)	7 (23.3%)	4 (13.3%)	9 (30%)
E. faecium	17	8 (47.1%)	7 (41.2%)	0 (0%)	4 (23.5%)	4 (23.5%)	2 (11.8%)	4 (23.5%)
E. faecalis	17	13 (76.5%)	13 (76.5%)	0 (0%)	16 (94.1%)*↑	13 (76.5%)*↑	2 (11.8%)	10 (58.8%)
E. gallinarum	13	7 (53.9%)	6 (46.2%)	0 (0%)	3 (23.1%)	3 (23.1%)	2 (15.4%)	3 (23.1%)
E. mundtii	7	3 (42.9%)	2 (28.6%)	0 (0%)	0 (0%)	0 (0%)	0 (0%)	1 (14.3%)
E. casseliflavus	5	2 (40%)	3 (60%)	0 (0%)	1 (20%)	1 (20%)	1 (20%)	2 (40%)
E. cecorum	3	1 (33.3%)	2 (66.7%)	0 (0%)	0 (0%)	1 (33.3%)	0 (0%)	1 (33.3%)
E. durans	3	1 (33.3%)	1 (33.3%)	0 (0%)	1 (33.3%)	1 (33.3%)	0 (0%)	1 (33.3%)
Total	145	61 (42.1%)	63 (43.5%)	0 (0%)	44 (30.3%)	44 (30.3%)	13 (9%)	40 (27.6%)

* p < 0.001