Pheno- and Genotypic Epidemiological Characterization of Vancomycin-Resistant Enterococcus faecium Isolates from Intensive Care Unit Patients in Central Türkiye.
Altan AkinedenCemal ÇiÇekSelÇuk TÜrkelIzhar U H KhanAmir AbdulmawjoodPublished in: Polish journal of microbiology (2024)
Vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus faecium (VRE) has been detected in Türkiye. Only limited information is available on its dissemination in the central regions of the country. This study describes the first epidemiological characterization of VRE clinical isolates detected in patients in a hospital in the province of Aksaray. In this one-year study conducted between 2021 and 2022, stool samples from intensive care unit patients were screened for VRE using the phenotypic E-test method, and the antibiotic sensitivity test was analyzed by using the VITEK ® 2 system. A molecular assay for confirmation of species level was carried out by 16S rRNA gene-based sequencing and testing for antibiotic resistance ( van A or van B) and virulence factor-encoding genes ( esp, asa1 , and hyl ). Further, genotypic characterization was determined by macro-restriction fragment pattern analysis (MRFPA) of genomic DNA digested with Sma I restriction enzyme. Of the total 350 Enterococcus positive patients from different hospital intensive care units, 22 (6.3%) were positive for VRE using the phenotypic E-test method. All isolates showed resistance to ampicillin, ciprofloxacin, vancomycin, and teicoplanin and positive amplification for the van A gene. However, none of the isolates was positive for the van B gene. The most prevalent virulence gene was esp . The results indicate that the isolates are persistent in the hospital environment and subsequently transmitted to hospitalized patients, thus representing challenges to an outbreak and infection control. These study results would also help formulate more effective strategies to reduce the transmission and propagation of VRE contamination in various hospital settings.
Keyphrases
- intensive care unit
- end stage renal disease
- ejection fraction
- newly diagnosed
- healthcare
- genome wide
- pseudomonas aeruginosa
- peritoneal dialysis
- escherichia coli
- biofilm formation
- gene expression
- emergency department
- climate change
- mechanical ventilation
- cystic fibrosis
- acute care
- adverse drug
- genome wide identification
- high throughput
- candida albicans
- nucleic acid
- health information