Diverse Antimicrobial Killing by Enterococcus faecium E 50-52 Bacteriocin

Abstract

An effective bacteriocin was identified and characterized. Lactic acid bacteria were screened against Campylobacter jejuni. One bacteriocin producer, Enterococcus faecium (NRRL B-30746), was studied. The isolate was grown, and the bacteriocin was purified to single-band homogeneity. Biochemical traits indicated that the peptide was a Class IIa bacteriocin, and it was named E 50-52. The bacteriocin had a molecular weight of 3339.7 and an isoelectric point of 8.0. The minimal inhibitory concentrations of E 50-52 against C. jejuni, Yersinia spp., Salmonella spp., Escherichia coli O157:H7, Shigella dysenteriae, Morganella morganii, Staphylococcus spp., and Listeria spp. ranged from 0.025 to 32 microg/mL. In therapeutic broiler trials, oral treatment with E 50-52 reduced both C. jejuni and Salmonella enteritidis by more than 100,000-fold in the ceca, and systemic S. enteritidis was reduced in the liver and spleen. The wide range of antibacterial activity of bacteriocin E 50-52 against pathogens provides a promising alternative to antibiotics.

Genome Sequence of Lactobacillus salivarius SMXD51, a Potential Probiotic Strain Isolated from Chicken Cecum, Showing Anti-Campylobacter Activity

“…Only a few bacterial strains show a peptide anti-Campylobacter activity (15,(20)(21)(22)(23), and to our knowledge, none of them has yet been sequenced.…”

Prevalence, Development, and Molecular Mechanisms of Bacteriocin Resistance in Campylobacter

“…The natural and low-toxicity BCNs have been proposed as promising candidates for novel antimicrobials (5). Several anti-Campylobacter BCNs produced by chicken commensal bacteria, such as OR-7 from Lactobacillus salivarius (38), E-760 and E50-52 from Enterococcus faecium (25,40), and bacillocins from Paenibacillus polymyxa (41), have displayed potent killing effects in vitro. Oral administration of these BCNs dramatically reduced C. jejuni colonization in poultry intestines (5 to 8 log 10 CFU reductions).…”

Genetic characterisation and heterologous expression of leucocin C, a class IIa bacteriocin from Leuconostoc carnosum 4010

“…Recently, some class IIa bacteriocins have been found to be effective against both G + and G -bacteria, such as Campylobacteri jejuni and Escherichia coli O157:H7 (Drider et al 2006;Stern et al 2006;Line et al 2008;Svetoch et al 2008).…”