Abstract
BackgroundEnterococcus faecalis is widely studied as a common gut commensal and a nosocomial pathogen. In fact, Enterococcus faecalis is ubiquitous in nature, and it has been isolated from various niches, including the gastrointestinal tract, faeces, blood, urine, water, and fermented foods (such as dairy products). In order to elucidate the role of habitat in shaping the genome of Enterococcus faecalis, we performed a comparative genomic analysis of 78 strains of various origins.ResultsAlthough no correlation was found between the strain isolation habitat and the phylogeny of Enterococcus faecalis from our whole genome-based phylogenetic analysis, our results revealed some environment-associated features in the analysed Enterococcus faecalis genomes. Significant differences were found in the genome size and the number of predicted open reading frames (ORFs) between strains originated from different environments. In general, strains from water sources had the smallest genome size and the least number of predicted ORFs. We also identified 293 environment-specific genes, some of which might link to the adaptive strategies for survival in particular environments. In addition, the number of antibiotic resistance genes was significantly different between strains isolated from dairy products, water, and blood. Strains isolated from blood had the largest number of antibiotic resistance genes.ConclusionThese findings improve our understanding of the role of habitat in shaping the genomes of Enterococcus faecalis.
Highlights
Enterococcus faecalis is widely studied as a common gut commensal and a nosocomial pathogen
There were no significant differences in the genome size nor the number of predicted open reading frames (ORFs) between strains isolated from blood, faeces, and urine samples
In summary, there was no correlation between the strain isolation source and phylogeny, our results did demonstrate that habitat was involved in shaping the E. faecalis genomes
Summary
Enterococcus faecalis is widely studied as a common gut commensal and a nosocomial pathogen. Enterococcus faecalis is ubiquitous in nature, and it has been isolated from various niches, including the gastrointestinal tract, faeces, blood, urine, water, and fermented foods (such as dairy products). Many E. faecalis strains are associated with infections, including urinary tract infection, bacteraemia, endocarditis, neonatal infection, and infection of the central nervous system [2, 3]. Enterococcus faecalis is ubiquitous in nature and has been isolated from many different niches. The gastrointestinal (GI) tract of humans and animals is commonly considered as the primary habitat of E. faecalis, where it occurs as a commensal [6, 8, 9]. The blood and urine specimens of humans and animals are major sources of E. faecalis [6].
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
