Vancomycin-resistant enterococci from nosocomial, community, and animal sources in the United States

Abstract

The presence of vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE) was looked for in fecal samples from 104 healthy volunteers (3 with hospital exposure), 100 selected hospitalized patients, and various environmental sources (44 commercial chickens, 5 farm-raised chickens, 3 turkeys, and 2 chicken farm lagoon slurries). Five probiotic preparations were also studied. No VRE with vanA or vanB genes were isolated from the healthy volunteers without hospital exposure, environmental sources, or probiotic preparations. VRE with vanB were found in the stools of 16% of the high-risk hospitalized patients and in one volunteer with hospital contact. All VRE examined could be classified into one of two clones by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis. VRE from 11 of the colonized patients were quantified and ranged from 10 3 to 10 6 CFU/g of stool. This study, in contrast to findings in Europe, failed to find evidence of VanA-or VanB-type VRE in the community or environmental sources in Houston, Texas, and suggests that these settings are not a likely source of VRE in hospitals in this geographic area.

Characterization of fecal vancomycin-resistant enterococci with acquired and intrinsic resistance mechanisms in wild animals, Spain

“…It has been suggested that enterococcal species with low-level vancomycin resistance (E. gallinarum, E. flavescens, and E. casseliflavus) may usually be present in the microbiota of some birds [37,38]. According to our data, it seems that When only some of the isolates of the group presented the characteristic indicated, the number of isolates with this characteristic is indicated as a superscript E. gallinarum is better adapted to red kites and white storks than to red-legged partridges.…”

Guidelines for the control of glycopeptide-resistant enterococci in hospitals

“…[66][67][68] However, in the USA, avoparcin has not been used as an ergotrope, so GRE are not thought to have entered the food chain and colonized the general population. 69 Nevertheless, nosocomial GRE colonization and infection appear to be much more frequent in the USA than in Europe. 70 Alert organism surveillance from routine clinical specimens is the usual method of GRE surveillance in the UK, although a variety of forms of GRE surveillance are undertaken at specific centres.…”

Production, isolation and biological activity of nargenicin from Nocardia sp. CS682

“…Over the last few years, intrinsic or acquired resistance of Staphylococcus aureus to many antibiotics, in particular, to β-lactams and glycopeptides has become a major cause of concern. MRSA (methicilin resistant Staphylococcus aureus) causes a health risk, especially in patients with severe underlying disease or immunosuppression (Chadwick et al, 1996;Coque et al, 1996).…”