Frequency of aggregation substance, cytolysin and enterococcal surface protein in vitro adhesion to urinary catheters of E. faecalis and E. faecium of clinical origin

• Enterococcal isolates, 21 E. faecium and 94 E. faecalis, isolated from blood cultures, rectal specimens and various other clinical samples were examined for the presence of the virulence factors hemolysin/cytolysin, aggregation substance (asa1) and enterococcal surface protein (esp). The isolates were previously characterized by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE). Adhesion to siliconized latex urinary catheters was analysed in 14 clinical isolates and 3 control strains. Densities of adhering bacteria were determined by a bioluminescence assay of bacterial ATP. The only virulence factor found in E. faecium, esp, was found in 71% of the 21 E. faceium isolates. Cytolysin production, asa1 and esp were found in 13%, 79% and 73%, respectively, of the 94 E. faecalis isolates. Isolates belonging to a cluster of genetically related isolates differed significantly with respect to carriage of esp and asa1 compared to unique isolates, with the virulence factors more commonly found among clustered isolates (p<0.01). No difference was found with respect to cytolysio production (p = 0.76). E. faecalis isolates adhered with higher bacterial densities than E. faecium. E. faecalis isolates within the same PFGE cluster adhered with similar bacterial densities, but there was no association between adhesion and the presence of esp when isolates within the same cluster were compared (p = 0.38 and 0.64).

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MEDICINE

MEDICIN

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