Table 2.
Prevalence of virulence genes in 510 clinical Enterococcus spp. (370 E. faecalis and 140 E. faecium) isolates according to the site of infection.
| Gene | Number (%) of isolates with the respective gene |
|||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Urine | Wounds | Genital tracta | Blood | Othersb | Total | |
| (nFL = 176) (nFM = 80) (n = 256) |
(nFL = 96) (nFM = 42) (n = 138) |
(nFL = 70) (nFM = 4) (n = 74) |
(nFL = 18) (nFM = 8) (n = 26) |
(nFL = 10) (nFM = 6) (n = 16) |
(nFL = 370) (nFM = 140) (n = 510) |
|
| esp-FL | 114 (64.8) | 58 (60.4) | 38 (54.3) | 6 (33.3) | 4 (40.0) | 220 (59.5) |
| esp-FM | 2 (2.5) | 4 (9.5) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | 6 (22.8) |
| esp-FL + esp-FM | 116 (45.3) | 62 (44.9) | 38 (51.4) | 6 (23.1) | 4 (25.0) | 226 (44.3) |
| agg | 76 (43.2) | 42 (43.8) | 40 (57.1) | 4 (22.2) | 2 (20.0) | 164 (44.3) |
| asa1 | 16 (20.0) | 12 (28.6) | 4 (100) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | 32 (22.8) |
| agg + asa1 | 92 (36.0) | 54 (39.1) | 44 (59.5) | 4 (15.4) | 2 (12.5) | 196 (38.5) |
| ace | 114 (64.8) | 52 (54.2) | 38 (54.3) | 14 (77.8) | 8 (80.0) | 226 (61.1) |
| acm | 56 (70.0) | 30 (71.4) | 2 (50.0) | 8 (100) | 6 (100) | 102 (72.8) |
| ace + acm | 170 (66.4) | 82 (59.4) | 40 (54.1) | 22 (84.6) | 14 (87.5) | 328 (64.3) |
| efaA-FL | 166 (94.3) | 70 (72.9) | 58 (82.9) | 12 (66.7) | 8 (80.0) | 314 (84.9) |
| efaA-FM | 74 (92.5) | 36 (85.7) | 4 (100) | 4 (50.0) | 6 (100) | 124 (88.5) |
| efaA-FL + efaA-FM | 240 (93.8) | 106 (76.8) | 62 (83.8) | 16 (61.5) | 14 (87.6) | 438 (85.9) |
| eep-FL | 174 (98.9) | 90 (93.8) | 66 (94.3) | 16 (88.9) | 8 (80.0) | 354 (95.7) |
| eep-FM | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| gelE-FL | 146 (83.0) | 78 (81.3) | 58 (82.9) | 14 (77.8) | 8 (80.0) | 304 (82.2) |
| gelE-FM | 12 (15.0) | 10 (23.8) | 2 (50.0) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | 24 (17.1) |
| gelE-FL + gelE-FM | 158 (61.7) | 88 (63.7) | 60 (81.1) | 14 (53.8) | 8 (50.0) | 328 (64.3) |
| hyl-FL | 48 (27.3) | 22 (22.9) | 20 (28.6) | 4 (22.2) | 0 (0) | 94 (25.3) |
| hyl-FM | 22 (27.5) | 8 (19.0) | 2 (50) | 2 (25.0) | 0 (0) | 34 (24.2) |
| hyl-FL + hyl-FM | 70 (27.3) | 30 (21.7) | 22 (29.7) | 6 (23.1) | 0 (0) | 128 (25.1) |
| cylA-FL | 110 (62.5) | 62 (64.6) | 54 (77.1) | 8 (44.4) | 6 (60.0) | 240 (64.9) |
| cylA-FM | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
FL, E. faecalis; FM, E. faecium; N/A, not applicable for E. faecium. esp, gene for enterococcal surface protein (adhesin) for both species; agg, E. faecalis aggregation substance involved in adherence to mammalian cells and conjugation; asa1, E. faecium aggregation substance involved in adherence to mammalian cells and conjugation; ace, E. faecalis Ace collagen-binding protein (adhesin); acm, E. faecium Acm collagen-binding protein (adhesin); efaA, cell wall adhesin expressed in patient serum (endocarditis-specific antigen A) for both species; eep (enhanced expression of pheromone), membrane protein of E. faecalis; gelE, extracellular metalloendopeptidase (gelatinase) for both species; hyl, hyaluronidase for both species; cylA, activation of cytolysin (hemolysin/class I. bacteriocin) of E. faecalis.
Genital tract specimens – sperm, urethral, vaginal and cervical samples.
others – peritoneal fluid (n = 6), bile (n = 2) and lower respiratory tract samples (n = 8).