Oxidative stress enhances cephalosporin resistance of Enterococcus faecalis through activation of a two-component signaling system.

ABSTRACT: Enterococcus faecalis is a low-GC Gram-positive bacterium, a normal resident of the gastrointestinal (GI) tract, and an important hospital-acquired pathogen. An important risk factor for hospital-acquired enterococcal infections is prior therapy with broad-spectrum cephalosporins, antibiotics that impair cell wall biosynthesis by inhibiting peptidoglycan cross-linking. Enterococci are intrinsically resistant to cephalosporins; however, environmental factors that modulate cephalosporin resistance have not been described. While searching for the genetic determinants of cephalosporin resistance in E. faecalis, we unexpectedly discovered that oxidative stress, whether from external sources or derived from endogenous metabolism, drives enhanced intrinsic resistance to cephalosporins. A particul

SUBMITTER: Djoric D 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4291345 | biostudies-literature | 2015 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature