Analysis of Vancomycin-Resistant Enterococci in Hemato-Oncological Patients
Department of Microbiology, University Hospital Olomouc and Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, Palacký University Olomouc, 77900 Olomouc, Czech Republic
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Antibiotics 2020, 9(11), 785; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/antibiotics9110785
Received: 28 September 2020 / Revised: 30 October 2020 / Accepted: 6 November 2020 / Published: 7 November 2020
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Hospital Acquired Infections, Multidrug Resistant (MDR) Bacteria, Alternative Approaches to Antibiotic Therapy)
Enterococci are important bacterial pathogens, and their significance is even greater in the case of vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE). The study analyzed the presence of VRE in the gastrointestinal tract (GIT) of hemato-oncological patients. Active screening using selective agars yielded VRE for phenotypic and genotypic analyses. Isolated strains were identified with MALDI-TOF MS, (Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption/Ionization Time-of-Flight Mass Spectrometry) their susceptibility to antibiotics was tested, and resistance genes (vanA, vanB, vanC-1, vanC2-C3) and genes encoding virulence factors (asa1, gelE, cylA, esp, hyl) were detected. Pulsed-field gel electrophoresis was used to assess the relationship of the isolated strains. Over a period of three years, 103 VanA-type VRE were identified in 1405 hemato-oncological patients. The most frequently detected virulence factor was extracellular surface protein (84%), followed by hyaluronidase (40%). Unique restriction profiles were observed in 33% of strains; clonality was detected in 67% of isolates. The study found that 7% of hemato-oncological patients carried VRE in their GIT. In all cases, the species identified was Enterococcus faecium. No clone persisted for the entire 3-year study period. However, genetically different clusters were observed for shorter periods of time, no longer than eight months, with identical VRE spreading among patients.
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Keywords:
VRE; GIT; hemato-oncological patients; clonality
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MDPI and ACS Style
Hricová, K.; Štosová, T.; Kučová, P.; Fišerová, K.; Bardoň, J.; Kolář, M. Analysis of Vancomycin-Resistant Enterococci in Hemato-Oncological Patients. Antibiotics 2020, 9, 785. https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/antibiotics9110785
AMA Style
Hricová K, Štosová T, Kučová P, Fišerová K, Bardoň J, Kolář M. Analysis of Vancomycin-Resistant Enterococci in Hemato-Oncological Patients. Antibiotics. 2020; 9(11):785. https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/antibiotics9110785
Chicago/Turabian StyleHricová, Kristýna; Štosová, Taťána; Kučová, Pavla; Fišerová, Kateřina; Bardoň, Jan; Kolář, Milan. 2020. "Analysis of Vancomycin-Resistant Enterococci in Hemato-Oncological Patients" Antibiotics 9, no. 11: 785. https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/antibiotics9110785
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