Genetic diversity and antimicrobial resistance of enterococcal isolates from Southern region of Brazil

Abstract

In the present study, a total of 455 enterococcal isolates, recovered from patients living in the city of Porto Alegre, State of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, during the period from July 1996 to June 1997, were identified to the species level by conventional biochemical and microbiological tests, and assayed for their susceptibilities to antimicrobial agents. The genetic diversity of antimicrobial resistant strains was evaluated by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) analysis of SmaI restricted chromosomal DNA. The most frequent species was Enterococcus faecalis (92.8%). Other species identified were: E. faecium (2.9%), E. gallinarum (1.5%), E. avium (1.1%), E. hirae (0.7%), E. casseliflavus (0.4%), E. durans (0.4%) and E. raffinosus (0.2%). The overall prevalence of isolates with high-level resistance (HLR) to aminoglycosides was 37.8%. HLR to gentamicin was found in 24.8%. No strains with acquired resistance to vancomycin were found. PFGE analysis showed the predominance of clonal group A, comprising strains isolated from different clinical specimens obtained from patients in three hospitals. These results suggest intra and inter-hospital dissemination of one predominant clonal group of E. faecalis isolates with HLR to gentamicin in the hospitals included in this study.

Immunotherapy of Prostate Cancer may Change mRNA Level of Virulence Factor Genes in E.Faecalis of Microflora

“…These properties could lead the bacterial strain to pathogenicity in subject (Nowak et al, 2002). Also correlation of several genes that were over expressed in patients after treatment, including gel E and esp, with antibiotic resistance had been approved (d'Azevedo et al, 2006). It means that if E.faecalis of micro flora became virulent, the infections could be resistant to antibiotic treatments; ciprofloxacin resistance, which was clinically observed in 23 patients with prostatitis in present study, may support it.…”

Laboratory identification of anaerobic bacteria isolated on Clostridium difficile selective medium

“…Most of these species have been previously observed as able to survive for months on surfaces [18]. E. faecalis (n = 26) and Eggerthella lenta (n = 14) were the most frequently isolated bacteria from the areas sampled.…”

“…These species have been commonly found in clinical samples [18,30] and observed to persist between 5 days and 4 months in hospital environments and on other inanimate surfaces [31,32]. In this nursing home, residents' rooms are cleaned and disinfected daily using bleach-based disinfectants (sodium hypochlorite 10%).…”

PCR-RFLP of 16S ribosomal DNA to confirm the identification of Enterococcus gallinarum and Enterococcus casseliflavus isolated from clinical and food samples

“…Furthermore, strains have been recognized as emerging human pathogens mostly associated with nosocomial infections 1 . The emergence of enterococci in nosocomial infections has grown in parallel with the rise in strains resistant to a large number of antimicrobial drugs used in the treatment of human infections.…”