Fifteen Enterococcus faecium and 33 E. faecalis isolates were tested to determine the relationship between the presence of the esp gene and biofilm production. It was determined that 4 of the tested isolates contained esp gene. However, none of these strains containing the esp gene were significantly stronger biofilm producers than esp-negative strains. These data indicate that esp is not critical for biofilm formation both for Enterococcus faecium and E. faecalis. Cloning N-terminal domain of Esp protein and controlled expression under arabinose promoter experiments were performed. As a result of cloning and expression of esp, Salmonellatyphimurium LT2 became more adherent to polystyrene than wild type strain. These results demonstrate that: (i) Esp surface protein is not mandatory for biofilm production of E. faecium and E. faecalis strains, (ii) the presence of esp gene enhances biofilm formation of enterococci, (iii) horizontal transfer of esp gene may cause the spread of biofilm infections, not only among enterococcal strains but also different species such as Salmonella.

中文翻译：

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esp基因从肠球菌到沙门氏菌的克隆和转移

测试了 15 种粪肠球菌和 33 种粪肠球菌分离株，以确定 esp 基因的存在与生物膜产生之间的关系。确定4个测试分离株含有esp基因。然而，与 esp 阴性菌株相比，这些含有 esp 基因的菌株都不是明显更强的生物膜生产者。这些数据表明 esp 对屎肠球菌和粪肠球菌的生物膜形成都不是关键。进行了Esp蛋白N-末端结构域的克隆和阿拉伯糖启动子实验下的受控表达。由于 esp 的克隆和表达，与野生型菌株相比，鼠伤寒沙门氏菌 LT2 对聚苯乙烯的粘附性更强。这些结果表明：(i) Esp 表面蛋白不是粪肠球菌和粪肠球菌菌株的生物膜生产所必需的，