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Infection and Immunity, August 2002, p. 4678-4681, Vol. 70, No. 8
0019-9567/02/$04.00+0     DOI: 10.1128/IAI.70.8.4678-4681.2002
Copyright © 2002, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

The Enterococcus faecalis fsrB Gene, a Key Component of the fsr Quorum-Sensing System, Is Associated with Virulence in the Rabbit Endophthalmitis Model

Division of Infectious Diseases,¹ Department of Molecular Biology, Massachusetts General Hospital,⁴ Department of Genetics,⁵ Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts,⁷ Department of Microbiology and Immunology,² Department of Ophthalmology, The University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma,⁶ Division of Infectious Diseases and Center for the Study of Emerging and Re-emerging Pathogens, University of Texas, Houston, Texas³

Received 19 February 2002/ Returned for modification 8 April 2002/ Accepted 19 April 2002

We used a rabbit endophthalmitis model to explore the role of fsrB, a gene required for the function of the fsr quorum-sensing system of Enterococcus faecalis, in pathogenicity. A nonpolar deletion mutant of fsrB had significantly reduced virulence compared to wild type. Complementation of mutation restored virulence. These data corroborate the role of fsrB in E. faecalis pathogenesis and suggest that the rabbit endophthalmitis model can be used to study the in vivo role of quorum sensing.

Editor: E. I. Tuomanen

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