Acta Veterinaria et Zootechnica Sinica ›› 2025, Vol. 56 ›› Issue (5): 2325-2339.doi: 10.11843/j.issn.0366-6964.2025.05.030

• Preventive Veterinary Medicine • Previous Articles     Next Articles

Research on the Biological Characteristics of Enterococcus faecalis in Dairy Cow Mastitis in Ningxia

QIAO Yarui1,2(), MIAO Yuhang1,2, HUANG Qian1,2, ZHOU Xuezhang1,2,*()   

  1. 1. College of Life Sciences, Ningxia University, Yinchuan 750021, China
    2. Key Laboratory of Conservation and Utilization of Biological Resources with Western Characteristics, Ministry of Education, Yinchuan 750021, China
  • Received:2024-06-17 Online:2025-05-23 Published:2025-05-27
  • Contact: ZHOU Xuezhang E-mail:15209665024@163.com;zhouxuezhang@nxu.edu.cn

Abstract:

This study conducted drug susceptibility tests, as well as resistance and virulence gene detection, on 107 Enterococcus faecalis strains isolated from mastitis cases to understand the drug-resistance characteristics and virulence of E. faecalis from bovine mastitis. E. faecalis strain F2 was selected as a representative strain for whole-genome sequencing and biological characterization. Further, bovine mammary epithelial cells (BMECs) were infected with Enterococcus JH2-2 and E. faecalis F2 at a multiplicity of infection (MOI) of 1 000 to assess the adhesive and invasive abilities of strain F2, as well as its impact on BMECs damage and proliferation. A larval infection model using Galleria mellonella was established to verify the pathological features of tissue damage caused by this strain through larval survival rates and histopathological analyses. The results indicated that E. faecalis strains from bovine mastitis exhibited the highest resistance rates to lincomycin, tetracycline, and erythromycin, ranging between 90% and 100%. Among the isolates, 95 strains carried resistance genes, and 84 strains carried virulence genes. The most frequently detected resistance gene was ermB (91.6%), and the most common virulence gene was esp (78.6%). Whole-genome sequencing of strain F2 revealed resistance to 23 classes of antibiotics, including lincosamides, macrolides, and quinolones. Additionally, three integrative and conjugative elements (ICEs) carrying resistance genes and 91 associated virulence factors, such as efaA, gelE, ace, and AS, were identified. Strain F2 demonstrated strong environmental tolerance, surviving under high temperatures, acidic, and alkaline conditions, and exhibited motility and robust biofilm formation capabilities (OD570 nm>2 ODc). Six hours post-infection of BMECs, strain F2 showed significantly greater adhesion and invasion abilities (P < 0.001) compared to the control group. Over time, strain F2 exhibited increased toxicity to BMECs, leading to severe cell damage and death. Following infection of G. mellonella larvae with strain F2 for one day, larval mortality reached 100%, accompanied by extensive inflammatory cell infiltration and severe disruption of the larval body cavity. This study reveals that E. faecalis isolates from bovine mastitis exhibit severe multidrug resistance, harbor multiple ICEs carrying resistance genes, and possess numerous virulence factors, contributing to BMECs damage. These findings provide an experimental foundation for further research on the transmission of antimicrobial resistance and pathogenicity of E. faecalis from bovine sources.

Key words: Enterococcus faecalis, mastitis in dairy cows, biological characteristics, whole genome analysis

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