Comparison of Virulence Gene Profiles of Enterococcus faecium and Enterococcus faecalis Chicken Neck Skin and Faeces Isolates

Summary The objective of this study was to find out the distribution of major virulence determinants asa1, gelE, cylA, esp, and hyl by multiplex PCR in 132 Enterococcus faecium and 67 Enterococcus faecalis isolates originated from chicken neck skin samples at slaughterhouse and faeces samples from intensive broiler enterprises and rural poultry establishments. In the study, 31.2% (62/199) of the enterococcal strains harbored at least one virulence determinant. The gelE gene was the predominant (30.2%) virulence trait among the enterococci investigated followed by asa1 (15.6%). Both gelE and asa1 genes were significantly higher in E. faecalis than E. faecium. The hyl, esp and cylA genes were detected with percentages of 1.5%, 1.5% and 0.8% in E. faecium isolates. None of the E. faecalis strains harbored cylA, esp and hyl genes. The results indicate that a clear difference was observed in the kind of virulence factor present in strains between faecal samples and skin samples. Also, E. faecium strains isolated from both chicken skin samples and faeces presented lower pathogenicity potential than did E. faecalis.