Vancomycin-resistant enterococci in humans and imported chickens in Japan.
The phenotypes and genotypes of 22 VanA-type vancomycin-resistant enterococci that had been isolated in Japan were examined. The VanA resistance determinant was plasmid mediated in each of the 22 strains. Of the 22 strains, 8 were isolated from different patients and 11 and 3 were obtained from different samples of chickens imported from Thailand and France, respectively. Three of the strains that were isolated from patients and the 11 strains isolated from the Thai chickens showed high-level vancomycin resistance (MICs, 512 to 1,024 micro g/ml) and low-level teicoplanin resistance (MICs, 0.5 to 4 micro g/ml). Each of these strains had three amino acid substitutions in the N-terminal region of the deduced VanS sequence. L50 was converted to V, E54 was converted to Q, and Q69 was converted to H compared to the vanS gene sequence of Tn1546.
Ozawa
Yoshiyuki
Y
Department of Microbiology, Gunma University School of Medicine, Maebashi, Japan.
Tanimoto
Koichi
K
Nomura
Takahiro
T
Yoshinaga
Masao
M
Arakawa
Yoshichika
Y
Ike
Yasuyoshi
Y
D000818:Animals; D001426:Bacterial Proteins; D001483:Base Sequence; D002645:Chickens / Q000382:microbiology*; D003227:Conjugation, Genetic; D016521:Electrophoresis, Gel, Pulsed-Field; D016983:Enterococcus / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000302:isolation & purification; D006801:Humans; D010957:Plasmids; D011494:Protein Kinases / Q000235:genetics; D014157:Transcription Factors / Q000235:genetics; D020713:Vancomycin Resistance / Q000235:genetics
D001426:Bacterial Proteins; D014157:Transcription Factors; C073901:VanS protein, Enterococcus; D011494:Protein Kinases