CLONING OF AN ENTEROCOCCUS-FAECALIS ENDOCARDITIS ANTIGEN - HOMOLOGY WITH ADHESINS FROM SOME ORAL STREPTOCOCCI

Serum from a patient with Enterococcus faecalis endocarditis was used to identify the gene efaA cloned in Lambda ZapII in Escherichia coli. Nucleotide sequence analysis revealed a 924-bp open reading frame enco ding a protein with a predicted molecular weight of 34,768. The amino acid sequence of EfaA shows 55 to 60% homology to a group of streptoco ccal proteins, FimA from Streptococcus parasanguis, SsaB from Streptoc occus sangnis, ScaA from Streptococcus gordonii, and PsaA from Strepto coccus pneumoniae. Members of this group have been shown to be adhesin s, and we hypothesize that EfaA may function as an adhesin in endocard itis.