Isolation and characterization of enterocin EJ97, a bacteriocin produced by Enterococcus faecalis EJ97

The bacteriocinogenic strain of Enterococcus faecalis ET97 has been isolate d from municipal waste water. It produces a cationic bacteriocin (enterocin EJ97) of low molecular mass (5,340 Da) that is very stable under mild heat conditions and is sensitive to proteolytic enzymes. The amino acid sequenc e of the first 18 N-terminal residues of enterocin EJ97 indicates that it i s different from other known protein sequences. Enterocin EJ97 is active on several gram-positive bacteria including enterococci, several species of B acillus, Listeria, and Staphylococcus aureus. The producer strain is immune to bacteriocin. Enterocin EJ97 has a concentration-dependent bactericidal and bacteriolytic effect on E. faecalis S-47.