Revised Estimates of Enterococcal Chromosomal Sizes

We previously reported that the chromosomal sizes of four strains of enterococci ranged from 2,045 to 2,761 kb. Extensive analysis and mapping subsequently confirmed the size of Enterococcus faecalis strain OG1 as 2,825 kb (prior size estimate range, 2,750−2,761 kb) (Murray etal., J. Bacteriol. 175,5216,1993). However, using variable conditions of electrophoresis and additional digestions, revised size estimates for the other strains are 2,852−3,093 kb for E. faecalis strain JH2-2 (prior range, 2,008−2,135 kb), 2,910−3,065 kb for E. faecalis strain HH67 (prior range, 2,170−2,288 kb), and 2,334−2,558 for E.faecium strain GE-1 (prior range, 2,045−2,155 kb). The earlier underestimations of the chromosomal sizes were due to the inconsistent presence of a large fragment, likely caused by shearing of the DNA during handling, causing it to be considered a partial digestion product, and failure to resolve multiple fragments of the same approximate size.