Bloodstream Isolates of Enterococcus faecium Enriched with the Enterococcal Surface Protein Gene, esp , Show Increased Adhesion to Eukaryotic Cells

Infection-derived Enterococcus faecium strains enriched with esp had increased ability to adhere to Caco-2 cells (P < 0.05) and were less genetically diverse than esp-negative isolates. esp-negative E. faecium fecal isolates from healthy individuals adhered significantly better than esp-negative infection isolates (P < 0.05), indicating additional factors of importance to adhesion.