title: Resistance to gentamicin and vancomycin in enterococcal strains isolated from retail broiler chickens in Japan.
abstract: A total of 137 Enterococcus strains isolated from chicken meat were subjected to antimicrobial susceptibility tests. Strains with the vanCl gene were isolated from seven of nine samples of chicken meat processed in Japan and from all chickens from China and Brazil between July 2001 and April 2002. The pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) patterns of the isolates were distinguishable from each other, suggesting that VanCl-type vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus is preferentially colonized in broiler chickens in these countries. The incidence of high-level gentamicin resistant (HLGR) enterococci that harbored the aac(6')-le-aph(2")-la or aph(2')-Id gene varied among the countries from which the chickens originated (Japan, 2 of 65; China, 11 of 43; Brazil, 6 of 29). Moreover, the PFGE patterns of the HLGR strains were distinguishable from each other, except for two strains obtained from chickens from Brazil. The results suggest that HLGR Enterococcus is highly prevalent in broiler chickens.
authors.affiliation: Department of Veterinary Microbiology, Faculty of Agriculture, Tottori University, Tottori 680-8553, Japan.
authors.forename: Tetsuya
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Harada
authors.forename: Yasuaki
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Mito
authors.forename: Koichi
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Otsuki
authors.forename: Toshiyuki
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Murase
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D002645:Chickens / Q000382:microbiology*; D015169:Colony Count, Microbial; D024881:Drug Resistance, Bacterial / Q000235:genetics*; D016521:Electrophoresis, Gel, Pulsed-Field; D016983:Enterococcus / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000235:genetics; D005516:Food Microbiology; D005839:Gentamicins / Q000494:pharmacology*; D008826:Microbial Sensitivity Tests; D014640:Vancomycin / Q000494:pharmacology*; D020713:Vancomycin Resistance
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D005839:Gentamicins; D014640:Vancomycin