Virulence genes, antibiotic resistance and plasmid profiles of Enterococcus faecalis and Enterococcus faecium from naturally fermented Turkish foods

Aim: To determine the virulence genes, antibiotic resistance and plasmid profiles of 16 Enterococcus faecium and 68 Enterococcus faecalis strains isolated from various naturally fermented foods. Methods and Results: The presence of virulence genes (agg(2), gelE, cylM, cylB, cylA, espfs, espfm, efaAfs, efaAfm, cpd, cop, ccf, cad) and also the genes vanA and vanB were investigated by polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Antibiotic resistance of the isolates was determined by disc diffusion method. Most of the tested isolates were positive for virulence genes and resistant to some antibiotics. One of the Ent. faecalis strains isolated from a cheese sample carried the vanA gene and was intermediately resistant to vancomycin. The strains usually contained large plasmids, which might harbour acquired antibiotic resistance. Conclusion: The study showed that Ent. faecium and Ent. faecalis strains isolated from naturally fermented Turkish foods may be potential risk factors for consumer health in terms of virulence genes and acquired antibiotic resistance. Significance and Impact of the Study: The results indicate the importance of enterococcal contamination in terms of the safety of some fermented Turkish foods.