title: Presence of glycopeptide-encoding plasmids in enterococcal isolates from food and humans in Denmark.
abstract: Enterococci and especially glycopeptides-resistant enterococci (GRE) are a growing concern due to their ability to cause infections in hospitals. Transmission of antimicrobial resistance between reservoirs such as animals, meat, and humans are in most cases linked to transmission of mobile genetic elements (MGE) such as plasmids and transposons. Presence of MGE was tested in all GRE isolated from food in Denmark in 2005-2007 including the first vanA mediated Enterococcus faecalis isolated from food. The ability of these plasmids to transfer and persist among enterococci was investigated using newly developed techniques for classification of plasmids. Replicons associated with sex pheromone-inducible plasmids were detected in all GR E. faecalis, whereas GR Enterococcus faecium contained plasmids known to be widely distributed among enterococci. vanA resistance is common in E. faecium isolates from meat and animals in Europe and is rarely found in E. faecalis. This article describes the first characterization of MGE from vanA mediated E. faecalis, thus linking this resistance genotype to pheromone responding plasmids.
authors.affiliation: National Food Institute, Division of Microbiology and Risk Assessment, Antimicrobial Resistance Unit, Technical University of Denmark, Lyngby, Denmark. lourdes.migura@cresa.uab.cat
authors.forename: Lourdes
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Garcia-Migura
authors.forename: Antonio J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Sanchez-Valenzuela
authors.forename: Lars Bogø
authors.initials: LB
authors.lastname: Jensen
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D001426:Bacterial Proteins / Q000235:genetics*; D019729:Carbon-Oxygen Ligases / Q000235:genetics*; D004251:DNA Transposable Elements; D003718:Denmark; D013293:Enterococcus faecalis / Q000187:drug effects / Q000235:genetics* / Q000302:isolation & purification; D016984:Enterococcus faecium / Q000187:drug effects / Q000235:genetics* / Q000302:isolation & purification; D005516:Food Microbiology; D022761:Gene Transfer, Horizontal; D006020:Glycopeptides / Q000235:genetics / Q000494:pharmacology*; D016908:Gram-Positive Bacterial Infections / Q000382:microbiology; D006801:Humans; D008460:Meat / Q000382:microbiology; D010641:Phenotype; D010675:Pheromones / Q000235:genetics; D010957:Plasmids; D012093:Replicon / Q000235:genetics; D014640:Vancomycin / Q000494:pharmacology; D020713:Vancomycin Resistance / Q000235:genetics*
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D001426:Bacterial Proteins; D004251:DNA Transposable Elements; D006020:Glycopeptides; D010675:Pheromones; C071437:VanA ligase, Bacteria; D014640:Vancomycin; D019729:Carbon-Oxygen Ligases