Comparative genomic analysis reveals significant enrichment of mobile genetic elements and genes encoding surface structure-proteins in hospital-associated clonal complex 2 Enterococcus faecalis.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Enterococci rank among the leading causes of nosocomial infections. The failure to identify pathogen-specific genes in Enterococcus faecalis has led to a hypothesis where the virulence of different strains may be linked to strain-specific genes, and where the combined endeavor of the different gene-sets result in the ability to cause infection. Population structure studies by multilocus sequence typing have defined distinct clonal complexes (CC) of E. faecalis enriched in hospitalized patients (CC2, CC9, CC28 and CC40).

Results

In the present study, we have used a comparative genomic approach to investigate gene content in 63 E. faecalis strains, with a special focus on CC2. Statistical analysis using Fisher's exact test revealed 252 significantly enriched genes a

SUBMITTER: Solheim M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3022643 | biostudies-literature | 2011 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature