Occurrence of multidrug‐resistant Enterococcus faecium isolated from environmental samples

Occurrence of multidrug‐resistant Enterococcus faecium isolated from environmental samples

Enterococcus species are present in the microbiota of humans and animals and have also been described in the environment. Among the species, Enterococcus faecium is one of the main pathogens associated with nosocomial infections worldwide. Enterococcus faecium isolates resistant to different classes...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Letters in applied microbiology Vol. 73; no. 2; pp. 237 - 246
Main Authors: Santos, L.D.R., Furlan, J.P.R., Gallo, I.F.L., Ramos, M.S., Savazzi, E.A., Stehling, E.G.
Format: Journal Article
Language:English
Published: England Oxford University Press 01-08-2021
Subjects:
Aminoglycosides
Antimicrobial agents
Antimicrobial resistance
Ciprofloxacin
Drug resistance
Enterococcus faecium
Fluoroquinolones
Genes
Linezolid
Microbiota
multidrug‐resistant
Nosocomial infection
soil
Soil water
Soils
Vancomycin
Virulence
water
Water analysis
Water sampling
Enterococcus faecium
vancomycin
soil
virulence
water
multidrug-resistant
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Summary:Enterococcus species are present in the microbiota of humans and animals and have also been described in the environment. Among the species, Enterococcus faecium is one of the main pathogens associated with nosocomial infections worldwide. Enterococcus faecium isolates resistant to different classes of antimicrobials have been increasingly reported, including multidrug‐resistant (MDR) isolates in environmental sources, which is worrying. Therefore, this study aimed to characterize E. faecium isolates obtained from soil and water samples regarding antimicrobial resistance and virulence determinants. A total 40 E. faecium isolates were recovered from 171 environmental samples. All isolates were classified as MDR, highlighting the resistance to the fluoroquinolones class, linezolid and vancomycin. Furthermore, high‐level aminoglycoside resistance and high‐level ciprofloxacin resistance were detected in some isolates. Several clinically relevant antimicrobial resistance genes were found, including vanC1, ermB, ermC, mefAE, tetM, tetL, ant(6′)‐Ia, ant(4′)‐Ia, aph(3′)‐IIIa and aac(6′)‐Ie‐aph(2″)‐Ia. Three virulence genes were detected among the MDR E. faecium isolates, such as esp, gelE and ace. The results of this study contribute to a better understanding of MDR E. faecium isolates carrying antimicrobial resistance and virulence genes in environmental sources and report for the first time in the world the presence of vanC1‐producing E. faecium isolated from soil. Significance and Impact of the Study: The occurrence of MDR Enterococcus faecium isolates in soil and water samples calls attention to the spread of this species among environmental samples and indicates the importance of the environment as a reservoir for clinically relevant antimicrobial resistance genes.
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ISSN:0266-8254
1472-765X
DOI:10.1111/lam.13508