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Learn about Enterococcus spp., their characteristics, medical significance, antibiotic resistance, virulence factors, and results of a study on Enterococcus in local surface waters. Discover the impact of common antibiotics on bacterial resistance and the implications for water quality.
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Identification and Characterization of Enterococcus spp. in Local Surface Waters Team Microbiology Advisor: Dr. June Middleton Assistant: Alex Kohl Neha Bansal, Laura Decker, Kevin Huang, Ashwinee Ragam, Angela Sekerke, Reema Shah, Sarah Song, Pallavi Yerramilli, Eddie Zhang, Jeremy Zornow
Enterococcus spp. History • Closely related to Streptococcus • Separate genus formed in 1984 • 16 different species • Located in intestines of warm-blooded animals, plants, soil, and water
Characteristics • Gram-positive cocci • Group D glycerol teichoic acids • 6.5% NaCl • Esculin Esculin test
Medical Significance • E. faecium and E. faecalis • Nosocomial infections • Urinary tract infection • Wound infection • Bacterial endocarditis E. faecium E. faecalis
Antibiotics: antimicrobial compounds that terminate or impede the proliferation of bacteria derived from certain microorganisms Selective Toxicity: the ability of an antibiotic to target bacteria without harming the host cells
Antibiotic Resistance the potential of a microorganism to resist and endure the effects of an antibiotic Vancomycin-Resistant Enterococcus spp.
Virulence Factors • The products of any genes that help bacteria invade and colonize a host. • Virulence factors work synergistically to help the cell invade a host. • The more virulence factors a bacterium expresses, the more dangerous it is to our health.
Virulence Factors • Hemolysins • Compounds that destroy red blood cells. • Bacteriolysins • Compounds that kill “rival” bacteria, leading to the dominance of an area by one strain or species. • Gelatinase • Disassembles gelatins and collagen – the bacterial cell will then recycle the peptide segments for use among the colonizing bacteria.
Sample Collection Burnham Pond, Drew Pond, Loantaka Brook, and Whippany River
Culture Isolation Whippany River 1 mL Whippany River 5 mL Whippany River 25 mL Drew Pond 1 mL Drew Pond 5 mL Drew Pond 10 mL
Speciation Yellow = Fermentation (Positive) Red = Negative Sugars Tested: • arabinose • mannitol • methyl α-D-glucopyranoside (MGP) • ribose • sorbose • sorbitol
Antibiotic Resistance Antibiotics Tested: • cephalothin (30µg/ml) • chloramphenicol (30µg/ml) • ciprofloxacin (5µg/ml) • erythromycin (15µg/ml) • gentamycin (10µg/ml) • nitrofurantoin (300µg/ml) • penicillin (10µg/ml) • streptomycin (10µg/ml) • tetracycline (30µg/ml) • vancomycin (30µg/ml)
Virulence Factors α hemolysis β hemolysis Virulence Factors Tested: • Gelatinase • Hemolysins • Bacteriocins~ Tested against: • Streptococcus mitis PI 519 • Enterococcus faecalis ATCC 29212 • Enterococcus mundtii O • Enterococcus mundtii P • Enterococcus mundtii R
Counts 3150 1100 880 240
Relative Abundance con’t • Low concentration of Enterococcus faecalis • High concentration of Enterococcus casseliflavus • Varying concentrations of Enterococcus faecium
Antibiotic Resistance con’t • High resistance to Penicillin, Cephalothin, Streptomycin • Moderate resistance to Gentamycin and Vancomycin • Low resistance to Tetracycline and Ciprofloxacin
Virulence • Majority of Enterococcus from Whippany River lysed all five of the bacteria • Majority of Enterococcus from Drew Pond and Loantaka Brook lysed none of the bacteria • Burnham Pond possessed no colonies of virulent bacteria
Conclusions • Maximum level of Enterococcus allowed for drinking water is 7 isolates per 100 mL and for bathing water is 100 isolates per 100 mL • All of the water sources we tested were unsuitable for drinking or bathing
Conclusions con’t • E. faecalis and E. faecium are nosocomial pathogens (causes of secondary infections in hospitals) • Only pathogenic species of Enterococcus
Conclusions con’t • Overuse of common antibiotics has led to high bacterial resistance • Three antibiotics virtually ineffective in curbing Enterococcus spp. growth • Penicillin • Cephalothin • Streptomycin • Three antibiotics displayed 100% effectiveness against Enterococcus spp. • Chloramphenicol • Erythromycin • Nitrofurantoin
Conclusions con’t • E. faecalis and E. faecium were found to have similar resistance patterns • One main exception – E. faecium displayed susceptibility to vancomycin
Conclusions con’t • Whippany River - large concentration of E. faecalis and E. faecium • Enterococcus found in Drew Pond and Loantaka Brook possess lower virulence capability • Burnham Pond –no isolates of E. faecalis or E. faecium found in pond
Fin Paul Quinn the Bacterial Contamination!!!!!