What is it about?
The aim of this study was to describe the genome of a daptomycin-resistant E. hirae R17 recovered from a food sample, and to investigate the genetic basis underpinning its antimicrobial resistance phenotype, virulence, and environmental adaptability.
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Why is it important?
The genetic information about Enterococcus hirae is limited, a feature that has compromised our understanding of these clinically challenging bacteria. Our data supported the phenotype previously determined confirming that the foodborne E. hirae R17 was a multi-drug resistant pathogenic bacterium with evident genome plasticity and environmental adaptability.
Perspectives
The E. hirae R17 genome sequence provides a starting point to study the evolutionary history and the potential pathobiology of this species, particularly those isolates recovered from food related samples. We found that the isolate originating from retailed pork acquired multiple antibiotic resistance genes and also has genes that may play roles in colonization and the infection of animal food consumers. The genomic flexibility of E. hirae R17, with its IS elements, transposase, and TRs, allows rapid adaptation to new environmental niches such as those that are found in food sterilization and storage sites. Genome-wide studies, which will be facilitated by the sequence data presented here, are therefore needed to increase our understanding of the basic biology of E. hirae and to identify genes that may present risks for public health.
Zixin Peng
China National Center for Food Safety Risk Assessment
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Genomic insights into the pathogenicity and environmental adaptability of Enterococcus hirae
R17 isolated from pork offered for retail sale, MicrobiologyOpen, August 2017, Wiley,
DOI: 10.1002/mbo3.514.
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