Streptococci readily colonize mucosal tissues in the nasopharynx; the respiratory,
gastrointestinal, and genitourinary tracts; and the skin. Each ecological niche presents a …

The bacterial cell envelope is the first and major line of defence against threats from the
environment. It is an essential and yet vulnerable structure that gives the cell its shape and …

Biofilms are polymicrobial, with diverse bacterial species competing for limited space and
nutrients. Under healthy conditions, the different species in biofilms maintain an ecological …

Natural genetic transformation in Streptococcus pneumoniae is controlled in part by a
quorum‐sensing system mediated by a peptide pheromone called competence‐stimulating …

Streptococcus pneumoniae becomes competent for genetic transformation when exposed to
an autoinducer peptide known as competence-stimulating peptide (CSP). This peptide was …

Enterococcus faecalis harbors a virulence-associated surface protein encoded by the esp
gene. This gene has been shown to be part of a 150-kb putative pathogenicity island. A …

Transformation of genetic material between bacteria was first observed in the 1920s using
Streptococcus pneumoniae as a model organism. Since then, the mechanism of …

Streptococcus pneumoniae has re-emerged as a major cause of morbidity and mortality
throughout the world and its continuous increase in antimicrobial resistance is rapidly …

Natural DNA transformation is a lateral gene transfer mechanism during which bacteria take
up naked DNA from their environment and stably integrate it in their genome. The proteins …

Genetic competence appears to be important in establishment of biofilms and tolerance of
environmental insults. We report here that the development of competence is controlled at …