The alarming occurrence of antibiotic resistance genes in food production demands continuous monitoring worldwide. One reservoir of resistance genes is thought to be eDNA. There is currently little available information in Europe about either the extracellular DNA distribution of the bacterium or the spread of resistance genes in L. monocytogenes. Therefore, our aims were to give insight into the Listeria monocytogenes resistance situation in the Czech Republic and assess the presence of resistance genes in their extracellular DNA (eDNA). First, susceptibility tests were performed on 49 isolates of L. monocytogenes with selected antibiotics. Next, we tested DNA of suspected isolates for the presence of resistance genes in both planktonic cells and the eDNA of biofilms. Finally, fluorescent confocal microscopy was used to observe the eDNA pattern of selected isolates under conditions that mimicked the food processing environment and the human body. Susceptibility tests found isolates intermediate resistant to chloramphenicol, tetracycline, and ciprofloxacin as well as isolates resistant to ciprofloxacin. For all suspected isolates, PCR confirmed the presence of the gene lde encoding efflux pump in both types of DNA. When the biofilm was observed using confocal laser scanning microscope, the eDNA distribution patterns varied considerably according to the culture conditions. Furthermore, the food and clinical isolates varied in terms of the amount of eDNA detected. The presence of an efflux pump in both types of DNA suggests that the eDNA might serve as a reservoir of resistance genes. Surprising differences were observed in the eDNA pattern. Our results suggest that the current risk of the spread of L. monocytogenes resistance genes is low in the Czech Republic, but they also indicate the need for continuous long-term monitoring of the situation.

• MeSH
• Anti-Bacterial Agents pharmacology   MeSH
• Genes, Bacterial genetics   MeSH
• Drug Resistance, Bacterial genetics   MeSH
• Biofilms * MeSH
• DNA, Bacterial genetics   metabolism   MeSH
• Extracellular Space genetics   MeSH
• Humans MeSH
• Listeria monocytogenes drug effects   genetics   growth & development   isolation & purification   MeSH
• Microbial Sensitivity Tests MeSH
• Microbial Viability drug effects   MeSH
• Food Microbiology MeSH
• Cluster Analysis MeSH
• Check Tag
• Humans MeSH
• Publication type
• Journal Article MeSH
• Geographicals
• Czech Republic MeSH
• Names of Substances
• Anti-Bacterial Agents MeSH
• DNA, Bacterial MeSH

Enterococci form a complex, diverse, and very important group of bacteria from the technological and food safety aspect, or from the health-improving aspect as probiotics. Generally, enterococci are considered to be of low pathogenic potential, which is associated mostly with clinical strains. In these strains, production of virulence factors as well as resistance to many antimicrobial drugs could complicate treatment of nosocomial infections. Because there is a lack of information on incidence of these attributes in animal commensal enterococci, we screened 160 strains originating from feces of clinically healthy dogs in Eastern Slovakia (n = 105). The predominant species were Enterococcus faecium (57.5%) followed by Enterococcus faecalis (21.9%), and Enterococcus hirae (17.5%), while Enterococcus casseliflavus (1.9%) and Enterococcus mundtii (1.2%) rarely occurred. Among the tested antibiotics, gentamicin (high level) was the most effective drug against canine enterococci (95% of isolates were sensitive). In contrast, the highest resistance recorded (71.9%) was to teicoplanin. PCR screening showed the highest incidence of virulence genes in E. faecalis species. The most frequently detected were genes encoding adhesins efa Afm and efa Afs and sex pheromone cpd. IS16 gene, a marker specific for hospital strains, appeared in nine E. faecium strains. No strain was positive for DNase activity, 8.8% of the isolated strains showed gelatinase activity, and almost 100% strains produced tyramine. It seems commensal-derived enterococci from dogs could also to some extent be potential reservoir of risk factors for other microbiota or organisms.

• Keywords
• Biogenic Amine, Cadaverine, Hemolytic Activity, Teicoplanin, Tyramine,
• MeSH
• Anti-Bacterial Agents pharmacology   MeSH
• Drug Resistance, Bacterial MeSH
• Bacterial Proteins genetics   metabolism   MeSH
• Enterococcus drug effects   genetics   isolation & purification   physiology   MeSH
• Virulence Factors genetics   metabolism   MeSH
• Microbial Sensitivity Tests MeSH
• Dogs microbiology   MeSH
• Symbiosis MeSH
• Animals MeSH
• Check Tag
• Dogs microbiology   MeSH
• Animals MeSH
• Publication type
• Journal Article MeSH
• Names of Substances
• Anti-Bacterial Agents MeSH
• Bacterial Proteins MeSH
• Virulence Factors MeSH

Staphylococcus xylosus, Staphylococcus equorum, and Staphylococcus epidermidis strains were isolated from Bryndza cheese and identified using PCR method. The antimicrobial susceptibility of these strains was assessed using disc diffusion method and broth microdilution method. The highest percentage of resistance was detected for ampicillin and oxacillin, and in contrary, isolates were susceptible or intermediate resistant to ciprofloxacin and chloramphenicol. Fourteen of the S. xylosus isolates (45%) and eleven of the S. equorum isolates (41%) exhibited multidrug resistance. None of the S. epidermidis isolate was multiresistant. The phenotypic resistance to oxacillin was verified by PCR amplification of the gene mecA.

• MeSH
• Anti-Bacterial Agents pharmacology   MeSH
• Drug Resistance, Bacterial * MeSH
• Microbial Sensitivity Tests MeSH
• Food Microbiology * MeSH
• Methicillin Resistance MeSH
• Staphylococcus classification   drug effects   isolation & purification   MeSH
• Cheese microbiology   MeSH
• Publication type
• Journal Article MeSH
• Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't MeSH
• Names of Substances
• Anti-Bacterial Agents MeSH

Fifty-five strains of enterococci isolated from the piglet intestine were characterized in vitro for probiotic activity. Identification of the isolates revealed Enterococcus faecium as the predominant species (84 %). Forty strains (73 %) were found to produce bacteriocin-like substances (only into solid media) with activity almost only toward Gram-positive genera. Thirty-eight % of strains were resistant to tetracycline, 27 % to chloramphenicol, 18 % to erythromycin and 16 % to vancomycin. In addition to control of strain safety, 6 % of isolates were beta-hemolytic and 16 % produced gelatinase. Seven strains selected for further probiotic assays exhibited sufficient survival rate at pH 3.0 after 3 h, in the presence of 1 % ox-bile and lysozyme after 1 d (over 107 CFU/mL in all tests). The adhesion of tested strains to porcine and human intestinal mucus was found in a similar range (1.4-14.0 % and 1.4-17.6 %, respectively). In accordance with current research effort to use and/or to combine various health promoting substances, the sensitivity of all isolates toward plant extracts and toward bacteriocins produced by animal and environmental strains was determined. All enterococci were sensitive toward oregano and sage extracts and toward one (E. faecium EF55--chicken isolate, activity of 25 600 AU/mL) of ten bacteriocin substances. It means that a similar anti-enterococcal potential of some bacteriocin substances may be observed as for certain plant extracts.

• MeSH
• Anti-Bacterial Agents pharmacology   MeSH
• Antibiosis MeSH
• Bacterial Adhesion MeSH
• Drug Resistance, Bacterial MeSH
• Bacteriocins biosynthesis   pharmacology   MeSH
• Origanum chemistry   MeSH
• Enterococcus classification   drug effects   isolation & purification   physiology   MeSH
• Gastrointestinal Tract microbiology   MeSH
• Acids toxicity   MeSH
• Humans MeSH
• Microbial Sensitivity Tests MeSH
• Microbial Viability MeSH
• Mucins metabolism   MeSH
• Muramidase metabolism   MeSH
• Swine microbiology   MeSH
• Probiotics pharmacology   MeSH
• Plant Extracts pharmacology   MeSH
• Bile Acids and Salts toxicity   MeSH
• Animals MeSH
• Check Tag
• Humans MeSH
• Animals MeSH
• Publication type
• Journal Article MeSH
• Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't MeSH
• Names of Substances
• Anti-Bacterial Agents MeSH
• Bacteriocins MeSH
• Acids MeSH
• Mucins MeSH
• Muramidase MeSH
• Plant Extracts MeSH
• Bile Acids and Salts MeSH

The treatment of three patients suffering from chronic bacterial prostatitis who were qualified for an experimental phage therapy protocol managed at the Phage Therapy Unit in Wrocław is described. They had previously been treated unsuccessfully with long-term targeted antibiotics, autovaccines, and laser biostimulation. Rectal application of phage lysates targeted against Enterococcus faecalis cultured from the prostatic fluid gave encouraging results regarding bacterial eradication, abatement of clinical symptoms of prostatitis, and lack of early disease recurrence.

• MeSH
• Bacteriophages chemistry   physiology   MeSH
• Biological Therapy * MeSH
• Adult MeSH
• Enterococcus faecalis isolation & purification   virology   MeSH
• Gram-Positive Bacterial Infections microbiology   therapy   MeSH
• Humans MeSH
• Prostatitis microbiology   therapy   MeSH
• Check Tag
• Adult MeSH
• Humans MeSH
• Male MeSH
• Publication type
• Journal Article MeSH
• Case Reports MeSH

Antibiotic susceptibility or resistance, urease activity, detection of the structural genes for bacteriocin production, bacteriocin activity as well as sensitivity of the isolates to enterocins (Ent) A and M were determined in 23 isolates of new species Enterococcus haemoperoxidus and E. moraviensis. The majority of the strains were antibiotic sensitive and exhibited low urease activity (< 10 nkat/mL). The most frequently detected genes for Ent were entA and entP. However, only the strain 466 of E. haemoperoxidus produced an antibacterial substance with inhibitory activity against 21 G+ indicators. It was partially purified reaching an activity of up to 12 800 AU/mL. This bacteriocin active strain also possessed the genes for EntA and EntP. The other strains did not inhibit the indicator strains. The substance produced by the 466 strain was active even after a 5-months storage at +4 and -20 degrees C. This substance has proteolytic and hydrophilic character, pH optimum of bacteriocin production by this strain being between 4 and 7. While E. moraviensis strains showed sensitivity to EntA (produced by E. faecium EK13) and to EntM (produced by E. faecium AL41), E. haemoperoxidus strains were sensitive to EntA (except strain 382) but less sensitive to the treatment by EntM.

• MeSH
• Drug Resistance, Bacterial * MeSH
• Bacteriocins genetics   metabolism   MeSH
• Enterococcus drug effects   genetics   metabolism   MeSH
• Microbial Sensitivity Tests MeSH
• Water Microbiology MeSH
• Fresh Water microbiology   MeSH
• Urease metabolism   MeSH
• Publication type
• Journal Article MeSH
• Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't MeSH
• Names of Substances
• Bacteriocins MeSH
• Urease MeSH

Three hundred and ten enterococcal isolates (178 Enterococcus faecium, 68 E. durans, 49 E. faecalis, 8 E. italicus, 3 E. gallinarum, 3 E. casseliflavus, and 1 E. hirae) from Slovak Bryndza cheese were evaluated for susceptibility to nine antimicrobial agents (vancomycin, teicoplanin, ampicillin, streptomycin, gentamicin, erythromycin, rifampicin, nitrofurantoin, and ciprofloxacin). All enterococcal isolates from Bryndza cheese were susceptible to ampicillin, streptomycin, gentamicin, vancomycin, and teicoplanin as determined by the disk diffusion method. Vancomycin resistance genes vanA and vanB were not detected. Resistance rates of enterococcal isolates to rifampicin, erythromycin, ciprofloxacin, and nitrofurantoin were 24, 26, 2, and 1 %, respectively. Thirty-six % of E. faecium isolates and 22 % of the E. faecalis isolates were resistant to erythromycin. Resistance to rifampicin was similar in E. faecium (31 %) and E. faecalis (29 %). Both E. faecium and E. faecalis strains showed the same resistance to ciprofloxacin (2 %). E. durans isolates showed low levels of resistance to rifampicin, erythromycin, ciprofloxacin, and nitrofurantoin (1-4 %). Forty-eight (30 %) of the E. faecium isolates, two (3 %) of the E. durans isolates, and six (12 %) of the E. faecalis isolates exhibited multidrug resistance. The highest frequency of resistant enterococci was observed in Bryndza produced in winter season.

• MeSH
• Anti-Infective Agents pharmacology   MeSH
• Enterococcus classification   drug effects   isolation & purification   MeSH
• Drug Resistance MeSH
• Microbial Sensitivity Tests MeSH
• Food Microbiology * MeSH
• Seasons MeSH
• Cheese microbiology   MeSH
• Publication type
• Journal Article MeSH
• Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't MeSH
• Comparative Study MeSH
• Geographicals
• Slovakia MeSH
• Names of Substances
• Anti-Infective Agents MeSH

Twenty (18.5%) out of 108 clinical isolates of the family Enterobacteriaceae responsible for bloodstream infection were extended-spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBL)-positive in two screening tests, the double disk synergy test and the Oxoid Combination Disk method. Eleven out of the 20 ESBL-positive isolates transferred oxyimino-beta-lactam resistance to E. coli K12 C600 recipient strain with a frequency of 10(-8) - 10(-1) per donor cell. PCR analysis revealed that the majority of the transconjugants (9 of 11) express CTX-M-type beta-lactamases. Donor strains and their transconjugants displayed susceptibility patterns typical of ESBL producers. They were resistant to oxyimino-beta-lactams but susceptible to clavulanic acid and carbapenems. Resistances to aminoglycosides, tetracycline and mercuric chloride were, in some cases, co-transferred with oxyimino-beta-lactam resistance, suggesting that various resistance determinants were carried by the same conjugative plasmids.

• MeSH
• Anti-Bacterial Agents pharmacology   MeSH
• Drug Resistance, Bacterial genetics   MeSH
• Bacteremia microbiology   MeSH
• beta-Lactamases genetics   MeSH
• beta-Lactam Resistance genetics   MeSH
• beta-Lactams pharmacology   MeSH
• Enterobacteriaceae drug effects   enzymology   genetics   isolation & purification   MeSH
• Enterobacteriaceae Infections microbiology   MeSH
• Conjugation, Genetic MeSH
• Humans MeSH
• Microbial Sensitivity Tests methods   MeSH
• Polymerase Chain Reaction MeSH
• Gene Transfer, Horizontal * MeSH
• Check Tag
• Humans MeSH
• Publication type
• Journal Article MeSH
• Names of Substances
• Anti-Bacterial Agents MeSH
• beta-Lactamases MeSH
• beta-Lactams MeSH

Considerable variation in counts of antibiotic-resistant enterobacteria in the ovine gastrointestinal tract was observed. The occurrence of ruminal and fecal isolates resistant to ampicillin (Ap), kanamycin (Km) and tetracycline (Tc) culminated in summer months, followed by rapid decline in subsequent months. Using PCR the tem1bla (Apr), aphA1 (Kmr) and tetB (Tcr) genes were found to be predominant. Under in vitro conditions all resistance genes were transferable into laboratory Escherichia coli strain with relatively high frequency (10(-3) transconjugants per recipient).

• MeSH
• Anti-Bacterial Agents pharmacology   MeSH
• Drug Resistance, Bacterial * MeSH
• Bacterial Proteins genetics   MeSH
• Enterobacteriaceae drug effects   genetics   isolation & purification   MeSH
• Escherichia coli genetics   MeSH
• Gastrointestinal Tract microbiology   MeSH
• Conjugation, Genetic MeSH
• Microbial Sensitivity Tests MeSH
• Sheep, Domestic microbiology   MeSH
• Polymerase Chain Reaction MeSH
• Seasons MeSH
• Animals MeSH
• Check Tag
• Female MeSH
• Animals MeSH
• Publication type
• Journal Article MeSH
• Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't MeSH
• Names of Substances
• Anti-Bacterial Agents MeSH
• Bacterial Proteins MeSH