First outbreak of vancomycin-resistant enterococci in a tertiary hospital in Turkey.
Twenty multidrug-resistant vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus faecium strains of the VanA phenotype were isolated over a 1 year period from five patients in the intensive care unit at the University Hospital of Antalya, Turkey. Molecular investigation showed that these strains belonged to five different pulsotypes and that the vanA gene was carried by a Tn1546-like transposon inserted onto a self-transferable plasmid of approximately 200 kb. One patient was infected by two different strains, suggesting horizontal gene transfer within that patient. This is the first documented outbreak of VRE in Turkey with concomitant spread of plasmid and strains.
Clinical Microbiology Department, Akdeniz University School of Medicine, Antalya, Turkey.
Dilek
D
Colak
Thierry
T
Naas
Filiz
F
Gunseren
Nicolas
N
Fortineau
Dilara
D
Ogunc
Meral
M
Gultekin
Patrice
P
Nordmann
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D003428:Cross Infection / Q000382:microbiology; D004269:DNA, Bacterial / Q000032:analysis; D004196:Disease Outbreaks; D016521:Electrophoresis, Gel, Pulsed-Field; D016984:Enterococcus faecium / Q000187:drug effects / Q000235:genetics* / Q000302:isolation & purification; D005798:Genes, Bacterial / Q000235:genetics*; D016908:Gram-Positive Bacterial Infections / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000382:microbiology; D006785:Hospitals, University; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007362:Intensive Care Units; D008297:Male; D008826:Microbial Sensitivity Tests; D008875:Middle Aged; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D012150:Polymorphism, Restriction Fragment Length; D014421:Turkey / Q000453:epidemiology; D020713:Vancomycin Resistance
D004269:DNA, Bacterial