Budzik Jonathan M, Schneewind Olaf
Department of Microbiology, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, USA.
J Clin Invest. 2006 Oct;116(10):2582-4. doi: 10.1172/JCI30088.
Enterococcus faecalis is an important agent of endocarditis and urinary tract infections, which occur frequently in hospitals. Antimicrobial therapy is complicated by the emergence of drug-resistant strains, which contribute significantly to mortality associated with E. faecalis infection. In this issue of the JCI, Nallapareddy and colleagues report that E. faecalis produces pili on its surface and that these proteinaceous fibers are used for bacterial adherence to host tissues and for the establishment of biofilms and endocarditis (see the related article beginning on page 2799). This information may enable new vaccine strategies for the prevention of E. faecalis infections.
粪肠球菌是心内膜炎和尿路感染的重要病原体，这些感染在医院中频繁发生。抗菌治疗因耐药菌株的出现而变得复杂，这些耐药菌株对粪肠球菌感染相关的死亡率有显著影响。在本期《临床研究杂志》中，纳拉帕雷迪及其同事报告称，粪肠球菌在其表面产生菌毛，这些蛋白质纤维用于细菌黏附于宿主组织以及形成生物膜和引发心内膜炎（见第2799页开始的相关文章）。这一信息可能为预防粪肠球菌感染带来新的疫苗策略。
