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Study of Vancomycin Resistance in Faecal Enterococci from Healthy Humans and Dogs in Spain a Decade after the Avoparcin Ban in Europe
Author(s) -
López M.,
Tenorio C.,
Torres C.
Publication year - 2013
Publication title -
zoonoses and public health
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.87
H-Index - 65
eISSN - 1863-2378
pISSN - 1863-1959
DOI - 10.1111/j.1863-2378.2012.01502.x
Subject(s) - vancomycin resistant enterococci , vancomycin , enterococcus , microbiology and biotechnology , veterinary medicine , medicine , biology , antibiotics , bacteria , staphylococcus aureus , genetics
Summary One hundred and 26 faecal samples from healthy dogs (2009) and 157 faecal samples from healthy humans (2007) from La Rioja region (Spain) were tested to know the carriage of vancomycin‐resistant enterococci (VRE). VRE with intrinsic resistance ( vanC ) were found in 12% of healthy dogs and humans (29 Enterococcus gallinarum and four Enterococcus casseliflavus ). Nevertheless, VRE with acquired mechanism of resistance were not detected among these samples. Four Enterococcus faecalis isolates with vancomycin MIC of 8‐16 mg L −1 were recovered in human samples, but no single organism with known mechanism of acquired resistance could be identified. These 37 VRE isolates (33 E. gallinarum/E. casseliflavus and four E. faecalis ) of dog and human origin were further characterized (PCR detection of antibiotic resistance, virulence and bacteriocin genes). High prevalence of tetracycline resistance was identified (70%), especially among dog isolates harbouring tet (M) ± tet (L) genes; erythromycin resistance was also higher among isolates from dogs and they harboured the erm (B) gene, associated with erm (A) gene in one case. Virulence genes were only identified among E. faecalis isolates of human origin ( agg , cpd and/or gelE ) and never among E. gallinarum / E. casseliflavus of human or dog origin. Five E. gallinarum isolates of dog and three E. faecalis of human origin expressed bacteriocin activity; among them, only one E. faecalis presented activity against Listeria monocytogenes. The bacteriocin structural gene ef 1097 was identified in 3 bacteriocin‐producing E. faecalis isolates, associated with ent 1071 in one of them.