Dissemination of Enterococcal Genetic Lineages: A One Health Perspective

Enterococcus spp. are commensals of the gastrointestinal tracts of humans and animals and colonize a variety of niches such as water, soil, and food. Over the last three decades, enterococci have evolved as opportunistic pathogens, being considered ESKAPE pathogens responsible for hospital-associated infections. Enterococci's ubiquitous nature, excellent adaptative capacity, and ability to acquire virulence and resistance genes make them excellent sentinel proxies for assessing the presence/spread of pathogenic and virulent clones and hazardous determinants across settings of the human-animal-environment triad, allowing for a more comprehensive analysis of the One Health continuum. This review provides an overview of enterococcal fitness and pathogenic traits; the most common clonal complexes identified in clinical, veterinary, food, and environmental sources; as well as the dissemination of pathogenic genomic traits (virulome, resistome, and mobilome) found in high-risk clones worldwide, across the One Health continuum.

Automated summary

Enterococcus spp. are commensals of the gastrointestinal tracts of humans and animals and have become opportunistic pathogens responsible for hospital-associated infections. Due to their wide presence, adaptative capacity, and ability to acquire virulence and resistance genes, enterococci serve as sentinel proxies for assessing the presence/spread of pathogenic clones and hazardous determinants across the One Health continuum. This review provides an overview of enterococcal fitness and pathogenic traits, as well as the dissemination of pathogenic genomic traits found in high-risk clones worldwide.