Efficacy and Enterococcal Consumption: Comparison
Please note this is a comparison between Version 2 by Sirius Huang and Version 1 by Myo-Kyoung Kim.

Enterococci are often used in probiotics but can also cause nosocomial infections. As such, enterococcal consumption may have beneficial health effects, but a thorough evaluation of virulence absence and risk of antibiotic resistance spread is needed at the strain level. 

  • enterococci
  • probiotic
  • VRE
  • enterococcal consumption
  • virulence factor
  • antibiotic resistance

1. Introduction

The genus Enterococcus consists of lactic acid bacteria (LAB) found predominantly in the gut of humans and animals. Among enterococcal species, E. faecium and E. faecalis are the predominant species of the human gastrointestinal system. Enterococci are also involved in the fermentation process of various foods, including cheeses and sausages [1]. Additionally, certain species of Enterococcus are utilized as probiotics to maintain healthy gastrointestinal microbiota and reduce gastrointestinal inflammation. They also demonstrate the ability to produce bacteriocins, which are proteins produced by bacteria to inhibit growth or kill other competing bacteria [2,3][2][3]. However, enterococcal strains can carry plasmid-mediated resistance genes, which can be transferred between bacterial species, causing decreased susceptibility to common antibiotics [4]. These plasmid-mediated genes in enterococci have contributed to Vancomycin-Resistant Enterococci (VRE), which are problematic in the clinical setting [5].

2. Safety of Enterococcal Consumption: Virulence and Antibiotic Resistance

2.1. Opportunistic Pathogenicity of Enterococci

Although enterococci are commensal organisms that are part of the natural human gut flora, they have emerged as common pathogens causing nosocomial infections, such as endocarditis, bacteremia, urinary tract infections (UTIs), intra-abdominal and pelvic infections. Nearly 80% of these infections were associated with E. faecalis [42][6]. Most enterococcal strains are harmless, but some of the strains found in clinical settings are pathogenic because hospitals serve as reservoirs for antibiotic-resistant strains [43][7]. Enterococci are opportunistic pathogens, meaning that they are not usually pathogenic, but they can cause infections in individuals with weakened immune systems. Enterococci are harmless in their natural habitats (GI tract) but can exhibit pathogenicity outside this anatomical site [44][8]. For instance, translocation across intestinal mucosal surfaces to other tissues and systems, like the lung, liver, spleen, lymph nodes, and circulatory system, has been linked to numerous diseases and disorders [5]. Manfredo-Vieira et al. demonstrated that the translocation of E. gallinarum into systemic organs induced autoimmune responses in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus and autoimmune hepatitis [45][9]. In addition, Wang et al. showed that the translocation of E. faecalis had potentially mutagenic and carcinogenic effects in a cell culture model through the production of clastogens (chromosome-breaking factors). For example, the clastogen superoxide (O2) produced by E. faecalis mediated COX-2 expression, which caused macrophage-induced chromosomal instability and DNA damage in neighboring cells. [46][10].

2.2. Virulence Factors and Pathogenicity of Enterococcus in Probiotics

The existence of various virulence factors will lead to the pathogenicity of enterococci. These virulence factors can be classified by their functions: exoenzyme, adherence, exotoxin, immune modulation, and biofilm formation. Table 31 summarizes research investigating virulent factors and their functions.
Table 31.
Virulence factors of enterococci classified by function.

References

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