Differential Effects of Penicillin Binding Protein Deletion on the Susceptibility of Enterococcus faecium to Cationic Peptide Antibiotics.

Beta-lactam antibiotics sensitize Enterococcus faecium to killing by endogenous antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) of the innate immune system and daptomycin through mechanisms yet to be elucidated. It has been speculated that beta-lactam inactivation of select E. faecium penicillin binding proteins (PBPs) may play a pivotal role in this sensitization process.