High prevalence of ST-78 infection-associated vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus faecium from hospitals in Asuncion, Paraguay

Mushtaq Khan, JB Northwood, Rivkah Loor, ATR Tholen, E Riera, M Falcon, Alex Belkum, Mireille van Westreenen, John Hays

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Abstract

Forty infection-associated VanA-type vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus faecium (VRE) strains obtained from five collaborating hospitals in Asuncion, Paraguay were investigated. Genotyping using pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) and multilocus sequence typing revealed the presence of 17 cluster types and four STs, with 93% (37/40) of isolates comprising ST type 78. Other ST types included ST-132, ST-210 and one new ST type (ST-438). All but one isolate (ST-438) were associated with clonal complex 17 (CC17), and 97% of the total isolates carried the esp gene. Three Tn1546 variants were found, including a new lineage containing an ISEfa5 insertion in an existing IS1251 element.
Original languageUndefined/Unknown
Pages (from-to)624-627
Number of pages4
JournalClinical Microbiology and Infection
Volume16
Issue number6
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2010

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  • EMC MM-04-28-01

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