Glycopeptide susceptibility among Danish Enterococcus faecium and Enterococcus faecalis isolates of animal and human origin and PCR identification of genes within the VanA cluster.
The MICs of vancomycin and avoparcin were determined for isolates of Enterococcus faecium and isolates of Enterococcus faecalis recovered from the feces of humans and animals in Denmark. Two hundred twenty-one of 376 (59%) isolates of E. faecium and 2 of 133 (1.5%) isolates of E. faecalis were resistant to vancomycin (MICs, 128 to > or = 256 micrograms/ml), and all vancomycin-resistant isolates were resistant to avoparcin (MICs, 64 to > or = 256 micrograms/ml). All vancomycin-resistant isolates examined carried the vanA, vanX, and vanR genes, suggesting that a gene cluster similar to that of the transposon Tn1546 was responsible for the resistance.
Aarestrup
F M
FM
Danish Veterinary Laboratory, Copenhagen. faa@svs.dk.
Ahrens
P
P
Madsen
M
M
Pallesen
L V
LV
Poulsen
R L
RL
Westh
H
H
D000818:Animals; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D001426:Bacterial Proteins / Q000235:genetics*; D019729:Carbon-Oxygen Ligases; D002417:Cattle / Q000382:microbiology; D002645:Chickens / Q000382:microbiology; D004251:DNA Transposable Elements; D003718:Denmark; D004352:Drug Resistance, Microbial / Q000235:genetics; D013293:Enterococcus faecalis / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification; D016984:Enterococcus faecium / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification; D005798:Genes, Bacterial; D006020:Glycopeptides; D006801:Humans; D008025:Ligases / Q000235:genetics*; D008826:Microbial Sensitivity Tests; D005810:Multigene Family; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D046929:Serine-Type D-Ala-D-Ala Carboxypeptidase; D013552:Swine / Q000382:microbiology; D014157:Transcription Factors / Q000235:genetics; D014640:Vancomycin / Q000494:pharmacology
D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D001426:Bacterial Proteins; D004251:DNA Transposable Elements; D006020:Glycopeptides; D014157:Transcription Factors; C071437:VanA ligase, Bacteria; C073902:VanR protein, bacteria; D014640:Vancomycin; D046929:Serine-Type D-Ala-D-Ala Carboxypeptidase; C091956:VanX dipeptidase; D008025:Ligases; D019729:Carbon-Oxygen Ligases; C016249:avoparcin