CORSO A, FACCONE D, GAGETTI P, MELANO R, RODRIGUEZ M, PODESTA L, RODRIGUEZ V, PEREZ M, RIOS L, GONZALEZ J, TOGNERI A, LOPARDO H, GALAS M; Interscience Conference on Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy (42nd : 2002 : San Diego, Calif.).
Abstr Intersci Conf Antimicrob Agents Chemother Intersci Conf Antimicrob Agents Chemother. 2002 Sep 27-30; 42: abstract no. C2-1119.
Instituto Nacional de Enfermedades Infecciosas -ANLIS "Dr. C. Malbran", Bs. As., Argentina.
E. gallinarum (Ega) have been described as colonizing bacteria, but it have rarely been associated with some diseases like bacteremia and infection in inmunosupressed patients. Ega is intrinsically resistant to low level of vancomycin (VAN) and susceptible to teicoplanin, it phenotype is conferred by vanC1 gene. Between Aug. 2000 and Jan. 2001, 16 Ega (16 ICU patients) from rectal swabs with HGR were detected in a general hospital in Bs. As. Objectives: to characterize the mechanism involved in HGR by PCR; to investigate the genetic relationship by PFGE and to determine if the mechanism of HGR is transferable (from EgaHGR to E. faecium VAN susceptible (EfmVS)). Strains were identified by biochemical characterization using Facklam's recommendations and PCR for vanC1 gene. PCR for vanC1 and vanA genes were positive for all the strains. Three clonal types were discriminated by ApaI-PFGE. Most of the strains belonged to clonal types A (n=8, 50%) and B (n=7, 43.8%). One EgaHGR representative of clone B, was mated with EfmVS in BHI agar with VAN plus ampicillin. The 15 transconjugants obtained were confirmed biochemically and by PCR. Nowadays, CDC does not recommend infection control initiatives for patients infected or colonized with "motile" enterococci. However, our findings suggest that Ega is capable to capture a genetic element responsible of HGR and to transfer it to other species. This is, in our knowledge, the first report of an EgaHGR outbreak, produced by 2 clones carrying a transferable vanA element. Strict control measures should be taken in countries with social, political and economic difficulties where the bacteria acts like a reservoir for unusual genotypes of resistance.
Publication Types:
Keywords:
- Argentina
- Disease Outbreaks
- Electrophoresis, Gel, Pulsed-Field
- Enterococcus
- Genotype
- Glycopeptides
- Hospitals, General
- Humans
- Intensive Care Units
- Phenotype
- Polymerase Chain Reaction
- Vancomycin
- Vancomycin Resistance
- genetics
Other ID:
UI: 102266994
From Meeting Abstracts