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Spread of an Enterococcus faecalis sequence type 6 ( CC 2) clone in patients undergoing selective decontamination of the digestive tract
Author(s) -
MuruzábalLecumberri Izaskun,
Girbau Cecilia,
Canut Andrés,
Alonso Rodrigo,
FernándezAstorga Aurora
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
apmis
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.909
H-Index - 88
eISSN - 1600-0463
pISSN - 0903-4641
DOI - 10.1111/apm.12336
Subject(s) - enterococcus faecalis , microbiology and biotechnology , biology , gentamicin , multilocus sequence typing , virulence , clone (java method) , rapd , enterococcus , population , antibiotics , gene , genotype , genetics , medicine , escherichia coli , genetic diversity , environmental health
Enterococcus faecalis ( E. faecalis ) is a common cause of nosocomial infection in immunocompromised patients. The presence and dissemination of high‐risk clonal complexes, such as CC 2, is an ongoing problem in hospitals. The aim of this work was to characterize 24 E. faecalis isolates from ICU patients undergoing selective decontamination of the digestive tract ( SDD ) by phenotypical (antimicrobial susceptibility) and genotypical (presence of virulence genes, RAPD ‐ PCR and MLST ) methods. Our results showed high prevalence of the ST 6 E. faecalis clone (91.6%), especially adapted to the hospital environment, with a multidrug resistance pattern and a multitude of putative virulence genes. In addition, ST 179 (4.2%) and ST 191 (4.2%) were detected. By RAPD – PCR analysis, the 22 isolates identified as ST 6 showed six different DNA patterns, while the two remaining isolates, ST 179 and ST 191, showed two additional profiles. CC 2 is a known clonal complex with high adaptability to hospital environment and worldwide distribution. The high prevalence of the ST 6 clone in the studied population could be related to the presence of gentamicin in the SDD mixture since most strains were gentamicin resistant. Consequently, strict surveillance should be applied for rapid detection and control of this clone to prevent future spread outside the ICU .