title: Spread of an Enterococcus faecalis sequence type 6 (CC2) clone in patients undergoing selective decontamination of the digestive tract.
abstract: Enterococcus faecalis (E. faecalis) is a common cause of nosocomial infection in immunocompromised patients. The presence and dissemination of high-risk clonal complexes, such as CC2, is an ongoing problem in hospitals. The aim of this work was to characterize 24 E. faecalis isolates from ICU patients undergoing selective decontamination of the digestive tract (SDD) by phenotypical (antimicrobial susceptibility) and genotypical (presence of virulence genes, RAPD-PCR and MLST) methods. Our results showed high prevalence of the ST6 E. faecalis clone (91.6%), especially adapted to the hospital environment, with a multidrug resistance pattern and a multitude of putative virulence genes. In addition, ST179 (4.2%) and ST191 (4.2%) were detected. By RAPD-PCR analysis, the 22 isolates identified as ST6 showed six different DNA patterns, while the two remaining isolates, ST179 and ST191, showed two additional profiles. CC2 is a known clonal complex with high adaptability to hospital environment and worldwide distribution. The high prevalence of the ST6 clone in the studied population could be related to the presence of gentamicin in the SDD mixture since most strains were gentamicin resistant. Consequently, strict surveillance should be applied for rapid detection and control of this clone to prevent future spread outside the ICU.
authors.affiliation: Department of Immunology, Microbiology and Parasitology, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU), Vitoria, Spain.
authors.forename: Izaskun
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Muruzábal-Lecumberri
authors.forename: Cecilia
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Girbau
authors.forename: Andrés
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Canut
authors.forename: Rodrigo
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Alonso
authors.forename: Aurora
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Fernández-Astorga
mesh_terms: D015373:Bacterial Typing Techniques; D003001:Cloning, Molecular; D003428:Cross Infection / Q000382:microbiology; D004269:DNA, Bacterial / Q000235:genetics; D003666:Decontamination / Q000379:methods*; D024901:Drug Resistance, Multiple, Bacterial; D013293:Enterococcus faecalis / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D041981:Gastrointestinal Tract / Q000382:microbiology*; D005839:Gentamicins / Q000627:therapeutic use; D006784:Hospitals, Teaching; D006801:Humans; D007362:Intensive Care Units; D019105:Random Amplified Polymorphic DNA Technique; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA; D037521:Virulence Factors / Q000235:genetics
chemical_list: D004269:DNA, Bacterial; D005839:Gentamicins; D037521:Virulence Factors
keywords: E. faecalis; MLST; RAPD-PCR; antimicrobial susceptibility; selective decontamination; virulence