Genetic Variation and Evolution of the Pathogenicity Island of Enterococcus faecalis

Enterococcus faecalis is a leading cause of nosocomial infections and is known for its ability to acquire and transfer virulence and antibiotic resistance determinants from other organisms. A 150-kb pathogenicity island (PAI) encoding several genes that contribute to pathogenesis was identified among antibiotic-resistant clinical isolates. In the current study, we examined the structure of the PAI in a collection of isolates from diverse sources in order to gain insight into its genesis and dynamics. Using multilocus sequence typing to assess relatedness at the level of strain background and microarray analysis to identify variations in the PAI, we determined the extent to which structural variations occur within the PAI and also the extent to which these variations occur independently of the chromosome. Our findings provide evidence for a modular gain of defined gene clusters by the PAI. These results support horizontal transfer as the mechanism for accretion of genes into the PAI and highlight a likely role for mobile elements in the evolution of the E. faecalis PAI.