Polyclonal emergence of vanA vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus faecium in Australia

2017-04-01

van Hal, Sebastiaan J

Espedido, Björn A

Coombs, Geoffrey W

Howden, Benjamin P

Korman, Tony M

Nimmo, Graeme R

Gosbell, Iain B

Jensen, Slade O

Journal Article

10.1093/jac/dkw539

Objectives: To investigate the genetic context associated with the emergence of vanA VRE in Australia. Methods: The whole genomes of 18 randomly selected vanA-positive Enterococcus faecium patient isolates, collected between 2011 and 2013 from hospitals in four Australian capitals, were sequenced and analysed. Results: In silico typing and transposon/plasmid assembly revealed that the sequenced isolates represented (in most cases) different hospital-adapted STs and were associated with a variety of different Tn1546 variants and plasmid backbone structures. Conclusions: The recent emergence of vanA VRE in Australia was polyclonal and not associated with the dissemination of a single ‘dominant’ ST or vanA-encoding plasmid. Interestingly, the factors contributing to this epidemiological change are not known and future studies may need to consider investigation of potential community sources.

link

Journal of Antimicrobial Chemotherapy 2017; 72(4): 998-1001

Journal of Antimicrobial Chemotherapy