Prevalence, phenotype and genotype of oral enterococci

This study investigated the prevalence, phenotype and genotype of oral enterococci. Enterococci were detected in oral rinse samples from 11% of 100 patients receiving endodontic treatment and 1% of 100 dental students with no history of endodontic treatment (P = 0.0027). All enterococcal isolates were identified as Enterococcus faecalis. Viable counts ranged from 1 x 10 to 6 x 10(3) colony forming units per mL of oral rinse sample. Potential virulence traits expressed by oral E. faecalis strains included production of hemolysin (n = 4) and gelatinase (n = 4), and response to pheromones in E. faecalis culture filtrate (n = 1). Six strains produced bacteriocin. All strains were susceptible to ampicillin, benzylpenicillin, gentamicin and vancomycin. There was no evidence of metal-ion resistance. One isolate produced hemolysin, gelatinase and bacteriocin, was resistant to several antibiotics, and responded to the pheromone cPD1. Pulsed-field gel electrophoresis and plasmid analysis showed that oral E. faecalis exhibited widespread genetic polymorphism, with plasmids detected in seven strains.