Nitrogen and phosphorus eutrophication enhance biofilm-related drug resistance in Enterococcus faecalis isolated from Water Sources.

Antibiotic resistance is a critical topic worldwide with important consequences for public health. So considering the rising issue of antibiotic-resistance in bacteria, we explored the impact of nitrogen and phosphorus eutrophication on drug resistance mechanisms in Enterococcus faecalis, especially ciprofloxacin, oxytetracycline, and ampicillin. For this purpose we examined the antibiotic-resistance genes and biofilm formation of Enterococcus faecalis under different concentration of nitrogen and phosphorus along with mentioned antibiotics. Mesocosms were designed to evaluate the impact of influence of eutrophication on the underlying mechanism of drugn resistence in Enterococcus faecalis. For this purpose, we explored the potential relation to biofilm formation, adhesion ability, and the expression levels of the regulatory gene fsrA and the downstream gene gelEI. Our results demonstrated that the isolates of all treatments displayed high biofilm forming potential, and fsrA and gelE genes expression. Additionally, the experimental group demonstrated substantially elevated Enterococcus faecalis gelE expression. Crystal violet staining was applied to observe biofilm formation during bacterial development phase and found higher biofilm formation. In conclusion, our data suggest that E. faecalis resistance to ciprofloxacin, oxytetracycline, and ampicillin is related to biofilm development. Also, the high level of resistance in Enterococcus faecalis is linked to the expression of the fsrA and gelE genes. Understanding these pathways is vital in tackling the rising problem of bacterial resistance and its potential effect on human health.

Nutrient-induced antibiotic resistance in Enterococcus faecalis in the eutrophic environment.

Nutrient deposition and extensive use of antibiotics are increasing worldwide, especially in freshwater ecosystems. Bacteria display resistance to certain antibiotics and thus survive for extended periods in eutrophic environments. In this study, model ecosystems were established to investigate the effect of nitrate and phosphate nutrient salts on antibiotic resistance in strains of Enterococcus faecalis. Mesocosms were replicated to evaluate the ecological effects of nutrient influx. The mesocosms were divided into four different nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) regimens. Enterococcus faecalis strains were isolated on Days 0, 1, 7, 14, 21, 28, 40, 60 and 95 to evaluate their sensitivity to ampicillin, oxytetracycline (OXY), ciprofloxacin (CIP), chloramphenicol (CHL), vancomycin and erythromycin (ERY). Resistance genes for ERY (ermB, msrC and mefA), OXY [tet(M), tet(L) and tet(S)] and CHL (cat) as well as the enterococcal surface protein gene (esp) were investigated by PCR. The total nitrogen, total phosphorus, chemical oxygen demand permanganate index (CODMn), chlorophyll-a, Secchi depth and trophic level index were observed. In conclusion, addition of N and P had a significant influence on the resistance phenotypes of E. faecalis to OXY, CHL and ERY. Only high dosage led to CIP resistance. Higher total N concentrations resulted in the development of relatively higher resistance to OXY and CIP. The resistance genes tet(L) and tet(S) for OXY, msrC for ERY and cat for CHL were found to be associated with resistance in E. faecalis.