You must be logged in to reply to this topic.
- Enterococcus Faecium aka "Super Bug"
Viewing 1 post (of 1 total)
You must be logged in to reply to this topic.
You must be logged in to reply to this topic.
Hi, Iām Enterococcus Faecium. Itās for the best if you and I DONāT meet in the hospital. Me and the other enterococci in my family Enterococcaceae are the leading cause of nosocomial infections.
Iām a part of the normal intestinal flora of humans and animals. Iām particularly well suited to the gastrointestinal track, vaginal tract, and oral cavity because Iām a facultative anaerobeāI gain energy through fermentation. Plus, those spots provide me with loads of nutrients. But Iām not exactly fastidious. My gram-positive cell wall has a thick layer of peptidogycan, as well as eichoic and lipoteichoic acids. I can grow in a wide range of temperaturesāfrom 10-45 degrees Celsius. I can also tolerate basic and acidic environments as well as isotonic and hypertonic solutions. I can survive in soil, sewage, and hide out on a variety of hospital surfaces. Iām small (1-2 mm), spherical, and I prefer to hang out in pairs or chains. Iām not motile, but, believe me, I get around!
When I turn pathogenic, you better WATCH OUT! They donāt call me a āsuper bugā for nothing. My main weapon, my virulence factor, is my ability to resist to loads of different types of antibioticsāvancomycin, penicillin, gentamicin, tetracycline, erythromycin and teicoplanin just to name a few. Iām well known for being resistant to vancomycin. Healthcare workers stay on high alert for VREāvancomycin-resistant enterococci.
I can easily share drug resistance with my own generation and with future generations via plasmids and conjugative transposons. I have a surface protein that allows me to form biofilms so itās easy for me to coordinate with my fellow colony cells and make sure weāre all drug resistant. Forming biofilms helps me to colonize hospital tubing, which can lead to blood and urinary tract infections. I can also travel on hands and medical instruments to infect surgical wounds.
However, Iām not all bad. I have a few helpful uses. I can make antibacterial peptides called bacteriocins. Plus I can ferment delicious cheese and vegetables.
Hereās video all about me: http://mobile.ztopics.com/Enterococcus%20faecium/
Hereās a flattering photo of me: http://www.bioquell.asia/interface/assets/images/content/Enterococcus_faecium_faecalis_41503729_1.jpg
Sources:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enterococcus_faecium
https://microbewiki.kenyon.edu/index.php/Enterococcus_faecium
You must be logged in to reply to this topic.
Ursula C. Schwerin Library
New York City College of Technology, C.U.N.Y
300 Jay Street, Library Building - 4th Floor
Our goal is to make the OpenLab accessible for all users.