Prevalence, phenotype and genotype of oral enterococci.

This study investigated the prevalence, phenotype and genotype of oral enterococci. Enterococci were detected in oral rinse samples from 11% of 100 patients receiving endodontic treatment and 1% of 100 dental students with no history of endodontic treatment (P=0.0027). All enterococcal isolates were identified as Enterococcus faecalis. Viable counts ranged from 1 x 10 to 6 x 103 colony forming units per mL of oral rinse sample. Potential virulence traits expressed by oral E. faecalis strains included production of hemolysin (n=4) and gelatinase (n=4), and response to pheromones in E. faecalis culture filtrate (n=1). Six strains produced bacteriocin. All strains were susceptible to ampicillin, benzylpenicillin, gentamicin and vancomycin. There was no evidence of metal-ion resistance. One isolate produced hemolysin, gelatinase and bacteriocin, was resistant to several antibiotics, and responded to the pheromone cPD1. Pulsed-field gel electrophoresis and plasmid analysis showed that oral E. faecalis exhibited widespread genetic polymorphism, with plasmids detected in seven strains.

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