Influence of the Type of Diet on the Incidence of Pathogenic Factors and Antibiotic Resistance in Enterococci Isolated from Faeces in Mice

Abstract

A comparative study on potential risks was carried out in a collection of 50 enterococci isolated from faeces of mice fed a standard or a high-fat diet enriched with extra virgin olive oil, refined olive oil or butter, at the beginning, after six weeks and after twelve weeks of experiments. Strains were biochemically assessed and genetically characterized. E. faecalis and E. casseliflavus were the most frequently isolated species in any diet and time points. Apart from the fact of not having isolated any strain from the virgin olive oil group during the last balance, we found statistically significant differences (p < 0.05) among the diets in the percentage of antibiotic resistance and in the presence of the enterococcal surface protein gene (esp), as well as a tendency (p < 0.1) for the presence of the tyrosine decarboxylase gene (tdc) to increase over time in the group of isolates from the standard diet. When the resistance of the strains to virgin or refined olive oil was studied, only the group of enterococci from high fat diets showed a significantly higher percentage of resistance to refined olive oil (p < 0.05), while both types of oil equally inhibited those isolated from the standard diet (p > 0.05).