Original Article
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World J Gastroenterol. Jun 21, 2013; 19(23): 3562-3572
Published online Jun 21, 2013. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v19.i23.3562
Virulence factors of Enterococcus strains isolated from patients with inflammatory bowel disease
Edyta Golińska, Anna Tomusiak, Tomasz Gosiewski, Grażyna Więcek, Agnieszka Machul, Diana Mikołajczyk, Małgorzata Bulanda, Piotr B Heczko, Magdalena Strus
Edyta Golińska, Anna Tomusiak, Tomasz Gosiewski, Grażyna Więcek, Agnieszka Machul, Diana Mikołajczyk, Małgorzata Bulanda, Piotr B Heczko, Magdalena Strus, Department of Microbiology, Jagiellonian University Medical College, 31-121 Cracow, Poland
Author contributions: Golińska E performed the majority of the experiments, including the detection of gelatinase activity, measurement of hydrogen peroxide production and the determination of hydrogen peroxide decomposition, and wrote the manuscript; Tomusiak A collected and analysed the data; Gosiewski T performed PCR and multiplex PCR; Więcek G evaluated the adherence to human gut epithelium cells; Machul A and Mikołajczyk D evaluated the biofilm production; Heczko PB and Bulanda M supervised the experiments; and Strus M designed the experiments and supervised the project.
Supported by The Polish Ministry of Science and Higher Education Grants No. 2 PO5A 094 29, 3 P05E 091 25, N N402 0861 and N N401 144638
Correspondence to: Magdalena Strus, PhD, Chair of Microbiology, Department of Microbiology, Jagiellonian University Medical College, 18 Czysta Str., 31-121 Cracow, Poland. mbstrus@cyf-kr.edu.pl
Telephone: +48-12-6332567 Fax: +48-12-4233924
Received: December 18, 2012
Revised: March 5, 2013
Accepted: March 22, 2013
Published online: June 21, 2013
Core Tip

Core tip: In this research we have attempted to show which features make Enterococcus strains contributing to the development and maintenance of the inflammatory process in patients with inflammatory bowel disease. The outcome of this research may have an impact on better understanding of the pathomechanisms of this disease, as its etiology is not fully known. The study results suggest that Enterococcus strains which adhere strongly to the intestinal epithelium, form biofilm as well as possess the enzymatic mechanisms protecting them against the effects of reactive oxygen species, seem to have the highest chances to survive and influence the inflammatory process.