title: Evaluation of clonality in enterococci isolated in Brazil carrying Tn1546-like elements associated with vanA plasmids.
abstract: Fifty-one vancomycin-resistant enterococci samples isolated from different geographic regions in Brazil were studied. All the isolates harboured the vanA gene as demonstrated by PCR analysis, and in a majority of strains the gene was associated with a transferable plasmid of 70 kb. A single variant of the prototype Tn1546 associated with common transferable vanA-containing plasmids has spread among the enterococcal strains circulating in Brazil. The VanA element integrity in these enterococci strains and the different pulsed-field gel electrophoresis patterns suggest horizontal transmission of the vancomycin resistance transposon in Brazilian strains.
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Análises Clínicas, Toxicológicas e Bromatológicas, Faculdade de Ciências Farmacêuticas de Ribeirão Preto, Universidade de São Paulo, Via do Café s/n, 14040903, Ribeirão Preto, SP, Brasil.
authors.forename: Izabel Cristina V
authors.initials: IC
authors.lastname: Palazzo
authors.forename: Ilana Lopes B C
authors.initials: IL
authors.lastname: Camargo
authors.forename: Rosemeire C
authors.initials: RC
authors.lastname: Zanella
authors.forename: Ana Lúcia Costa
authors.initials: AL
authors.lastname: Darini
mesh_terms: D001426:Bacterial Proteins / Q000235:genetics*; D019729:Carbon-Oxygen Ligases / Q000235:genetics*; D004251:DNA Transposable Elements; D016521:Electrophoresis, Gel, Pulsed-Field; D013293:Enterococcus faecalis / Q000187:drug effects / Q000235:genetics*; D016984:Enterococcus faecium / Q000187:drug effects / Q000235:genetics*; D010957:Plasmids; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D020713:Vancomycin Resistance
chemical_list: D001426:Bacterial Proteins; D004251:DNA Transposable Elements; C071437:VanA ligase, Bacteria; D019729:Carbon-Oxygen Ligases