Adaptation to Adversity: the Intermingling of Stress Tolerance and Pathogenesis in Enterococci

Microbiol Mol Biol Rev. 2019 Jul 17;83(3):e00008-19. doi: 10.1128/MMBR.00008-19. Print 2019 Aug 21.

Abstract

Enterococcus is a diverse and rugged genus colonizing the gastrointestinal tract of humans and numerous hosts across the animal kingdom. Enterococci are also a leading cause of multidrug-resistant hospital-acquired infections. In each of these settings, enterococci must contend with changing biophysical landscapes and innate immune responses in order to successfully colonize and transit between hosts. Therefore, it appears that the intrinsic durability that evolved to make enterococci optimally competitive in the host gastrointestinal tract also ideally positioned them to persist in hospitals, despite disinfection protocols, and acquire new antibiotic resistances from other microbes. Here, we discuss the molecular mechanisms and regulation employed by enterococci to tolerate diverse stressors and highlight the role of stress tolerance in the biology of this medically relevant genus.

Keywords: Enterococcus; acid stress; antibiotic resistance; nutrient stress; opportunistic infections; oxidative stress; stress response.

Publication types

  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Adaptation, Physiological
  • Animals
  • Drug Resistance, Microbial
  • Enterococcus / pathogenicity*
  • Enterococcus / physiology*
  • Gastrointestinal Tract / immunology
  • Gastrointestinal Tract / microbiology*
  • Gene Expression Regulation, Bacterial
  • Host-Pathogen Interactions*
  • Humans
  • Immunity, Innate
  • Mice
  • Stress, Physiological*