Identification of enterococcal species by polymerase chain reaction technique, with study of some immunological features

Abstract EN

Objectives : Detection of genes responsible for identification of enterococci to the species level using PCR, determination of enterococcal serum resistance and phagocytic index. Materials and methods : seven enterococcal isolates were obtained from two hundred urine samples.

After identification of enterococcal isolates by biochemical tests, all of them were subjected to PCR technique using species-specific PCR primers for E.

faecalis and E.

faecium, enterococcal serum resistance and phagocytic index were detected. Result : This study revealed that five isolates (71.43 %) reacted with ddlE.

Faecalis ; whereas the remaining (28.57 %) isolates reacted with ddlE.

faecium.

Also, revealed that phagocytic index of two E.

faecalis and one E.

faecium isolates were 27 %, 25 % and 19 %, respectively, while one E.

faecium isolate showed phagocytic index as 8 %.

Moreover, enterococcal serum resistance showed that E.

faecalis was more sensitive to the serum as compared to E.

faecium. Conclusion : Enterococcal isolates can't be easily identified to the species level by conventional or traditional methods but it can be easily identified by species-specific PCR primers ddlE.

faecalis and ddlE.

faecium.

Enterococcous faecalis tends to be more sensitive to innate immune parameters as compared to E.

faecium.