Xu Wenjiao, Fang Yuwen, Hu Qiao, Zhu Kui
National Center for Veterinary Drug Safety Evaluation, College of Veterinary Medicine, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100193, China.
Foods. 2021 Nov 18;10(11):2846. doi: 10.3390/foods10112846.
Probiotics have been associated with clinical infections, toxicity, and antimicrobial resistance transfer, raising public concerns. Probiotic enterococci are emerging food risks as opportunistic pathogens, yet little attention has been paid to them. Herein, we collected 88 enterococcal isolates from probiotic products used for humans, companion animals, livestock, and aquaculture. Results showed that all 88 probiotic enterococcal isolates harbored diverse virulence genes, multiple antimicrobial resistance genes, and mobile genetic elements. Notably, 77 isolates were highly resistant to gentamicin. Representative enterococcal isolates exerted toxic activities in both in vitro and in vivo models. Collectively, our findings suggest that probiotic enterococci may be harmful to hosts and pose a potential threat to public health.
益生菌已与临床感染、毒性及抗菌药物耐药性转移相关联，引发了公众关注。作为机会性病原体，益生菌肠球菌正成为新出现的食品风险，但人们对它们的关注甚少。在此，我们从用于人类、伴侣动物、家畜和水产养殖的益生菌产品中收集了88株肠球菌分离株。结果显示，所有88株益生菌肠球菌分离株都含有多种毒力基因、多重抗菌药物耐药基因及可移动遗传元件。值得注意的是，77株分离株对庆大霉素高度耐药。代表性肠球菌分离株在体外和体内模型中均表现出毒性活性。总体而言，我们的研究结果表明，益生菌肠球菌可能对宿主有害，并对公众健康构成潜在威胁。
