Molecular epidemiology of vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus faecalis among patients of transplantology wards.
OBJECTIVE
Vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE) require epidemiological monitoring especially in transplantation wards. The aim of our work was to perform a molecular analysis of vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus faecalis (VREfl) strains among solid organ recipients during various years.


METHODS
Strains were examined for the presence of different genes determining vancomycin resistance: vanA, vanB, vanD, or vanG by polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP)-pulsed field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) was performed on bacterial DNA digested with SmaI enzyme.


RESULTS
From 2003 to 2006, we isolated 12 strains of VREfl from 8 patients (2 liver and 6 kidney transplantations). All strains harbored the vanA gene. Among the strains, 5 displayed patterns similar to each other, despite being isolated from different patients, and were susceptible to ampicillin with high resistance to aminoglycosides.


CONCLUSIONS
These results suggested that a single strain of VREfl was present for 3 years in closely related hospital wards, but it disappeared in the following years.
Department of Antibiotics and Microbiology, National Medicines Institute, Warsaw, Poland.
W
W
Grzybowska
A
A
Mlynarczyk
A
A
Mrowka
S
S
Tyski
T
T
Buczkowska
J
J
Pazik
M
M
Durlik
A
A
Kwiatkowski
L
L
Adadyński
A
A
Chmura
L
L
Paczek
G
G
Mlynarczyk
D004269:DNA, Bacterial / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification; D016521:Electrophoresis, Gel, Pulsed-Field; D013293:Enterococcus faecalis / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000235:genetics; D016908:Gram-Positive Bacterial Infections / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000453:epidemiology*; D006801:Humans; D016030:Kidney Transplantation / Q000009:adverse effects; D016031:Liver Transplantation / Q000009:adverse effects; D016377:Organ Transplantation / Q000009:adverse effects*; D012150:Polymorphism, Restriction Fragment Length; D011183:Postoperative Complications / Q000382:microbiology; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D014640:Vancomycin / Q000627:therapeutic use; D020713:Vancomycin Resistance / Q000235:genetics
D004269:DNA, Bacterial; D014640:Vancomycin