Enterococcus raffinosus

Enterococcus raffinosus is a bacterial species of the Gram-positive genus Enterococcus, named for its facultative anaerobic metabolism, including the ability to ferment the trisaccharide raffinose.^[1] This mesophilic microaerophile has optimal growth at 37°C in Columbia Blood Medium (agar mixture of trypticase soy and brain heart infusion).^[2] It has an ovoid morphology categorized as coccal with arrangement singly, in pairs, or short chains.^[1]

Enterococcus raffinosus
Scientific classification
Domain:	Bacteria
Kingdom:	Bacillati
Phylum:	Bacillota
Class:	Bacilli
Order:	Lactobacillales
Family:	Enterococcaceae
Genus:	Enterococcus
Species:	E. raffinosus
Binomial name
Enterococcus raffinosus Collins et al. 1989

According to analytical profile index results, this non-motile microbe is negative for urease and catalase but positive for Voges–Proskauer and pyrrolidonyl arylamidase. It hydrolyzes aesculin but not hippuric acid or starch. It lacks arginine deiminase, β-galactosidase, β-glucuronidase, and alkaline phosphatase.^[2]

Enterococcus raffinosus has been identified as a pathogen in Homo sapiens and Felis catus with vancomycin-resistant strains (VRE) involved in hospital-acquired infections that cause Crohn's disease.^[3][4] Additionally, this species uses Camelus dromedarius and Helix pomatia as hosts.^[5]

Sequencing of the CX012922 strain show genes divided between a 2.83 Mb circular genome for virulence factors like ATP-binding cassette (ABC) transporters and a 0.98 Mb circular megaplasmid for substrate utilization enzymes like raffinose permease.^[4]