Resistance to cefotaxime and peptidoglycan composition in Enterococcus faecalis are influenced by exogenous sodium chloride

The Enterococcus faecalis bacterium seems susceptible to cefotaxime, a cephalosporin, in vitro. The influence of NaC1 on the susceptibility of E faecalis to cefotaxime has been tested with the laboratory strain JH2 and 20 clinical strains. Increased cefotaxime resistance and the appearance of a heterogeneous resistance phenotype was the result of growth with 3% NaC1. Modifying the number of alanine-substituted precursors in the presence of NaC1 may interfere with different PBP functions and have a role in cefotaxime resistance.