Occurrence, Structure, and Mobility of Tn1546-Like Elements in Environmental Isolates of Vancomycin-Resistant Enterococci
AUTOR(ES)
Guardabassi, L.
FONTE
American Society for Microbiology
RESUMO
The occurrence, structure, and mobility of Tn1546-like elements were studied in environmental vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE) isolated from municipal sewage, activated sludge, pharmaceutical waste derived from antibiotic production, seawater, blue mussels, and soil. Of 200 presumptive VRE isolates tested, 71 (35%) harbored vanA. Pulsed-field gel electrophoresis analysis allowed the detection of 26 subtypes, which were identified as Enterococcus faecium (n = 13), E. casseliflavus (n = 6), E. mundtii (n = 3), E. faecalis (n = 3), and E. durans (n = 1) by phenotypic tests and 16S ribosomal DNA sequencing. Long PCR-restriction fragment length polymorphism (L-PCR-RFLP) analysis of Tn1546-like elements and PCR analysis of internal regions revealed the presence of seven groups among the 29 strains studied. The most common group (group 1) corresponded to the structure of Tn1546 in the prototype strain E. faecium BM4147. Two novel L-PCR-RFLP patterns (groups 3 and 4) were found for E. casseliflavus strains. Indistinguishable Tn1546-like elements occurred in VRE strains belonging to different species or originating from different sources. Interspecies plasmid-mediated transfer of vancomycin resistance to E. faecium BM4105 was demonstrated for E. faecalis, E. mundtii, and E. durans. This study indicates that VRE, including species other than E. faecium and E. faecalis, are widespread in nature and in environments that are not exposed to vancomycin selection and not heavily contaminated with feces, such as seawater, blue mussels, and nonagricultural soil. Tn1546-like elements can readily transfer between enterococci of different species and ecological origins, therefore raising questions about the origin of these transposable elements and their possible transfer between environmental and clinical settings.
ACESSO AO ARTIGO
http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/articlerender.fcgi?artid=348935Documentos Relacionados
- Diversity of Tn1546-Like Elements in Vancomycin-Resistant Enterococci Isolated from Humans and Poultry in Korea
- Comparison of Tn1546-Like Elements in Vancomycin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus Isolates from Michigan and Pennsylvania
- Molecular Analysis of Tn1546-Like Elements in Vancomycin-Resistant Enterococci Isolated from Patients in Europe Shows Geographic Transposon Type Clustering
- Identification of a Tn1546-Like (Type 2) Element in Vancomycin-Resistant Enterococcus faecium Isolated from Hospitalized Patients in Japan
- Outbreak of Vancomycin-Resistant Enterococci in a Hospital in Gdańsk, Poland, due to Horizontal Transfer of Different Tn1546-Like Transposon Variants and Clonal Spread of Several Strains