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Applied and Environmental Microbiology, May 2000, p. 1953-1959, Vol. 66, No. 5
0099-2240/00/$04.00+0
Copyright © 2000, American Society for Microbiology. All rights reserved.

Cell Wall Chemical Composition of Enterococcus faecalis in the Viable but Nonculturable State

Caterina Signoretto, Maria del Mar Lleò, Maria Carla Tafi, and Pietro Canepari*

Dipartimento di Patologia, Sezione di Microbiologia, Università di Verona, 37134 Verona, Italy

Received 24 November 1999/Accepted 23 February 2000

The viable but nonculturable (VBNC) state is a survival mechanism adopted by many bacteria (including those of medical interest) when exposed to adverse environmental conditions. In this state bacteria lose the ability to grow in bacteriological media but maintain viability and pathogenicity and sometimes are able to revert to regular division upon restoration of normal growth conditions. The aim of this work was to analyze the biochemical composition of the cell wall of Enterococcus faecalis in the VBNC state in comparison with exponentially growing and stationary cells. VBNC enterococcal cells appeared as slightly elongated and were endowed with a wall more resistant to mechanical disruption than dividing cells. Analysis of the peptidoglycan chemical composition showed an increase in total cross-linking, which rose from 39% in growing cells to 48% in VBNC cells. This increase was detected in oligomers of a higher order than dimers, such as trimers (24% increase), tetramers (37% increase), pentamers (65% increase), and higher oligomers (95% increase). Changes were also observed in penicillin binding proteins (PBPs), the enzymes involved in the terminal stages of peptidoglycan assembly, with PBPs 5 and 1 being prevalent, and in autolytic enzymes, with a threefold increase in the activity of latent muramidase-1 in E. faecalis in the VBNC state. Accessory wall polymers such as teichoic acid and lipoteichoic acid proved unchanged and doubled in quantity, respectively, in VBNC cells in comparison to dividing cells. It is suggested that all these changes in the cell wall of VBNC enterococci are specific to this particular physiological state. This may provide indirect confirmation of the viability of these cells.

* Corresponding author. Mailing address: Dipartimento di Patologia, Sezione di Microbiologia, Università di Verona, Strada Le Grazie 8, 37134 Verona, Italy. Phone: (39) 045 8027193. Fax: (39) 045 584606. E-mail: canepari{at}borgoroma.univr.it.

Applied and Environmental Microbiology, May 2000, p. 1953-1959, Vol. 66, No. 5
0099-2240/00/$04.00+0
Copyright © 2000, American Society for Microbiology. All rights reserved.


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