Enterococci are auxotrophic gut-associated bacteria that co-evolved with their terrestrial hosts over many eons. In the last 75 years—the “antibiotic era”—E. faecalis and E. faecium gained genes for a...

Issue #12

Over three decades, rapid expansion of the transposable element ISL3 has reshaped Enterococcus faecium, which helps to explain this pathogen’s growing clinical threat.

AbstractObjectives. Acquired resistance to last-line linezolid has emerged in Enterococcus spp. and can be conferred by the optrA gene. Here, we study the

Colonization of the gastrointestinal (GI) tract by vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus faecium (VREfm) often precedes bloodstream infection and serves as a reservoir for onward patient transmission in h...

Author summary Pathogenic bacteria are traditionally classified as either “intracellular” or “extracellular”, but growing evidence suggests that many extracellular bacteria also adopt transient intrac...

Gut microbiota interactions with mucus during early intestinal colonization are critical for establishing stable communities and influencing host health. Using human colonic organoids combined with Tn-seq and live imaging, this study reveals how Enterococcus faecalis adapts to the mucosal surface by forming microcolonies and reprogramming its metabolism. This integrative approach provides a powerful platform to study other microbiota members in the native-like environment of the large intestine and evaluate potential therapeutic interventions.

YouTube video by KeystoneSymposia

Infective endocarditis (IE) is an understudied biofilm-associated infection. Here, analyses of preclinical and clinical data reveal that the Fsr quorum sensing (QS) system of Enterococcus faecalis is ...

Macrophage activation is essential for innate immunity and antimicrobial defense. We show that Enterococcus faecalis suppresses macrophage activation …

The 2026 Gordon Research Conference on Streptococcal Biology will be held in Lucca (Barga), Lucca Italy. Apply today to reserve your spot.

YouTube video by KeystoneSymposia

Vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus faecium (VREfm) and Enterococcus faecalis (VREfs) are major antimicrobial resistance threats. Previous assessments r…

SUMMARYEnterococcus faecalis and Enterococcus faecium are human pathobionts that exhibit a dual lifestyle as commensal and pathogenic bacteria. The pathogenic lifestyle is associated with specific conditions involving host susceptibility and intestinal ...

Membrane vesicles (MVs) contribute to various biological processes in bacteria, including virulence factor delivery, antimicrobial resistance, host immune evasion and cross-species communication. MVs are frequently released from the surface of both ...

Alternative to the formation of NETs, André et al. describe here that viable neutrophils may release a fibrillar component named proteoglycofili or PGF upon stimulation. PGF formation is associated wi...

Join us at the Keystone Symposia on Beyond Antibiotics: Emerging Strategies for Combating Bacterial Infection, May 2026, in Breckenridge, with field leaders!

Join us at the Keystone Symposia on Beyond Antibiotics: Emerging Strategies for Combating Bacterial Infection, May 2026, in Breckenridge, with field leaders!

Here, the authors show that vancomycin-resistant enterococci grow in the antibiotic-treated gut microbiome by utilising enriched nutrients in the presence of reduced concentrations of inhibitory micro...

Brogan et al. uncover a signalling pathway in which levels of the nucleotide second messenger c-di-AMP increase in response to defects in cell wall synthesis. This regulatory pathway decreases turgor ...

In natural habitats, nutrient availability limits bacterial growth. We discovered that bacteria can overcome this limitation by acquiring nutrients by lysing neighboring cells through contact-dependen...