INTRODUCTIONThe Enterococcus Faecium is, nowadays, used as an animal probiotic in the food industry. Nontheless, this species has been identified as an important cause of nosocomial infections in hospitals. A very meticulous, case-by-case approach, must be performed to demonstrate the safety of the Enterococcus Faecium strains; that includes the lack of Ampicilin resistance, and three genetic elements associated with the hospital enterococcal strains: the Enterococcal Surface Protein (esp), Putative Glycosyl Hydrolase (hylEfm), and Insertion Sequence IS16. An element frequently inserted in transposons and plasmids associated to antibiotic resistances to Vancomycin, Chloramphenicol, Erythromycin, and Streptomycin, which has been identified as the most prominent marker for the E. Faecium hospital clade genotype.

ENTEROCOCCUS FAECIUM

General Aspects

It’s a Gram-Positive coccus that can be found in natural human flora.

Enterococci were originally described as Streptococcus because they share similar morphological and phenotypical characteristics.

At least, 18 different Enterococci have been isolated from human infections. The two major cases are reported under E. Faecalis and E. Faecium.

ENTEROCOCCUS FAECIUM

General Aspects

Enterococcus Faecium is, inherently,

resistant to a variety of common

antibiotic drugs.

More than 80% isolations are resistant

to Vancomycin.

More tan 90% are resistant to

Ampicilin.

ENTEROCOCCUS FAECIUM

ENTEROCOCCUS FAECIUM

Characteristics

Observed as single cells, a

diplococci, or a short chain of cells.

Enterococci are described to be non-

hemolytic when they are harvested on

blood agar plates.

At least, 18 different Enterococci

have been isolated from human

infections. The two major cases are

reported under E. Faecalis and E.

Faecium.

ENTEROCOCCUS FAECIUM

PCR And PFGE

GENERAL OBJECTIVE

To investigate the safety of 14 potential probiotic Enterococcus Faecium strains with antimicrobial activity following the guidance proposed by European Food

Safety Authority (EFSA).

MATERIALES Y MÉTODOS

MATERIALES Y MÉTODOS

MATERIALES Y MÉTODOS

MATERIALES Y MÉTODOS

MATERIALES Y MÉTODOS

¿Qué es un dendrograma?

Es un diagrama que muestra las similitudes genéticas de un grupo de individuos, organizando la información en ramificaciones según las características que tengan en ese grupo.

DISCUSSIONAuthor What do they say? Do the researchers agree?

Werner et al. (2011) A host range of IS16-bearing plasmids limited to hospital-adapted strains

Yes

Jurkovič et al. (2007) ERIC-PCR was the most discriminating technique, being more suitable than PFGE

Yes

Vankerckhoven et al. (2004)Werner et al. (2011)

PFGE has been used as preferential method for genotyping analysis of E. faecium in epidemiological studies

No

Heikens et al. (2011) The presence of esp in E. faeciumhas been associated with biofilm formation, urinary tract infection and endocarditis

Yes

CONCLUSSIONS – Santiago Valencia

The strains that have been found in the nosocomial infections can modify the characteristics of the industrial strains and amplify the infectious

spectrum in the population.

The correct use of lab test allows to get a bigger pecision if one wants to reach a better treatment against an infectious outbreak, in this case, and

reduce the probability of spreading the pathogenic agents.

MAPA CONCEPTUAL – Santiago Valencia

CONCLUSSIONS – Sebastián Yepes

The E. faecium is a bacteria that can be used without any concern in the food industry, with the right strain control.

Without these clever lab techniques, it wouldn’t be possible to develop the improvement of the food industry, and even worse, the medical research

for the correct treatment of many diseases, being these kind of help, some sort of public health control.

MAPA CONCEPTUAL – Sebastián Yepes

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Arias C.A., Murray B.E. (2015). Enterococcal Infections. In Kasper D, Fauci A, Hauser S, Longo D, Jameson J, Loscalzo J (Eds), Harrison's Principles of Internal Medicine, 19e. Retrieved September 07, 2015 from http://accessmedicine.mhmedical.com/content.aspx?bookid=1130&Sectionid=79735307.

Longo D.L., Fauci A.S., Kasper D.L., Hauser S.L., Jameson J, Loscalzo J (2014). Streptococcal/Enterococcal Infections, Diphtheria, and Other Infections Caused by Corynebacteria and Related Species. In Longo D.L., Fauci A.S., Kasper D.L., Hauser S.L., Jameson J, Loscalzo J (Eds), Harrison's Manual of Medicine, 18e. Retrieved September 08, 2015 from http://accessmedicine.mhmedical.com/content.aspx?bookid=1140&Sectionid=63500282.

Martínez Sánchez, Lina María. Biología Molecular. Ed. 8. Editorial Universidad Pontificia Bolivariana. Medellín, Colombia. 2015.

http://www.higiene.edu.uy/cefa/2008/StreptococcusyEnterococcus.pdf http://mic.sgmjournals.org/content/journal/micro/10.1099/mic.0.026385-0?

crawler=true&mimetype=application/pdf Mongay Fernández, Carlos. Quimiometría Universitat de València, Nov 28, 2011. Curtis Helena, Schnek Adriana. Curtis Biología Ed. Médica Panamericana, Jun 30, 2008.