title: Antibiotic Resistance and Biofilm Formation of Enterococcus faecalis in Patient and Environmental Samples.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Enterococci are opportunistic pathogens and are a major factor in nosocomial infections. They may contain ebp operon, which upon expression makes them highly prone to biofilm formation on biotic and abiotic surfaces.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  The aim of the current study was to detect the polymorphism of ebp genes in Enterococcus faecalis.
  
  
  METHODS
  Samples were isolated from patients (n = 58) and hospital environments (n = 32) of two hospitals in Tehran, Iran. All enterococcal species were identified by species-specific polymerase chain reaction (PCR); the antibiotic resistance pattern against nine antibiotics was determined. The ebp A, ebp B, ebp C and srt C genes were detected by PCR and the biofilm formation by the isolates was evaluated using the microtiter plate method. The genetic diversity of ebp genes was analyzed by restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP).
  
  
  RESULTS
  The results indicated that, 86% of patient and 29% of environmental isolates carried ebp genes. The ability of the isolates to strongly attach was 62% and 71% for patient and environmental samples, respectively. The RFLP of the ebp showed no genetic variations amongst the isolates.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The results of the antibiotic resistance and other data suggest that there is a possible common clone of E. faecalis, which could rapidly disseminate in patients and the environment.
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology, School of Medicine, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, IR Iran.
authors.forename: Malihe
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Talebi
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology, Pasteur Institute of Iran, Tehran, IR Iran.
authors.forename: Nastaran
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Asghari Moghadam
authors.affiliation: Microbiology Department, Faculty of Medicine, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, IR Iran.
authors.forename: Zeynab
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Mamooii
authors.affiliation: Microbiology Department, Faculty of Medicine, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, IR Iran.
authors.forename: Mohsen
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Enayati
authors.affiliation: Department of Bacteriology, Faculty of Medical Sciences, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran, IR Iran.
authors.forename: Mahnaz
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Saifi
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology, Pasteur Institute of Iran, Tehran, IR Iran.
authors.forename: Mohammad Reza
authors.initials: MR
authors.lastname: Pourshafie
keywords: Biofilms; Drug Resistance; Enterococcus faecalis; Microbial; ebp operon