title: Identification and characterization of vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus species frequently isolated from laboratory mice.
abstract: To determine the prevalence of drug resistant bacteria colonizing laboratory mice, we isolated and characterized vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus species (VRE) from commercially available mice. A total of 24 VRE isolates were obtained from 19 of 21 mouse strains supplied by 4 commercial breeding companies. Of these, 19 isolates of E. gallinarum and 5 isolates of E. casseliflavus possessing the vanC1 and vanC2/3 genes intrinsically, exhibited intermediate resistance to vancomycin respectively. In addition, these isolates also exhibited diverse resistant patterns to erythromycin, tetracycline, and ciprofloxacin, whereas the use of antibiotics had not been undertaken in mouse strains tested in this study. Although 6 virulence-associated genes (ace, asa, cylA, efaA, esp, and gelE) and secretion of gelatinase and hemolysin were not detected in all isolates, 23 of 24 isolates including the isolates of E. casselifalvus secreted ATP into culture supernatants. Since secretion of ATP by bacteria resident in the intestinal tract modulates the local immune responses, the prevalence of ATP-secreting VRE in mice therefore needs to be considered in animal experiments that alter the gut microflora by use of antibiotics.
authors: Division of Comparative Medicine, Center for Frontier Life Sciences, Nagasaki University, 1-12-4 Sakamoto, Nagasaki 852-8523, Japan.
authors: Hitoki
authors: H
authors: Yamanaka
authors: Toshikazu
authors: T
authors: Takagi
authors: Makiko
authors: M
authors: Ohsawa
authors: Naoto
authors: N
authors: Yamamoto
authors: Noriaki
authors: N
authors: Kubo
authors: Takahira
authors: T
authors: Takemoto
authors: Shoko
authors: S
authors: Sasano
authors: Ritsuko
authors: R
authors: Masuyama
authors: Kazutaka
authors: K
authors: Ohsawa
mesh_terms: D000255:Adenosine Triphosphate / Q000378:metabolism; D000818:Animals; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D001426:Bacterial Proteins; D024881:Drug Resistance, Bacterial / Q000235:genetics; D016983:Enterococcus / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification* / Q000378:metabolism; D005260:Female; D007422:Intestines / Q000276:immunology / Q000382:microbiology; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice / Q000382:microbiology*; D008815:Mice, Inbred Strains / Q000382:microbiology*; D010453:Peptide Synthases; D014640:Vancomycin / Q000494:pharmacology*
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D001426:Bacterial Proteins; D014640:Vancomycin; D000255:Adenosine Triphosphate; D010453:Peptide Synthases; C108395:VanC protein, Enterococcus