Polyclonal emergence of vanA vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus faecium in Australia

van Hal, S.; Espedido, B.; Coombs, Geoffrey; Howden, B.; Korman, T.; Nimmo, G.; Gosbell, I.; Jensen, S.

doi:10.1093/jac/dkw539

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Authors

van Hal, S.

Espedido, B.

Coombs, Geoffrey

Howden, B.

Korman, T.

Nimmo, G.

Gosbell, I.

Jensen, S.

Date

2017

Type

Journal Article

Metadata

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Citation

van Hal, S. and Espedido, B. and Coombs, G. and Howden, B. and Korman, T. and Nimmo, G. and Gosbell, I. et al. 2017. Polyclonal emergence of vanA vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus faecium in Australia. The Journal of Antimicrobial Chemotherapy. 72 (4): pp. 998-1001.

Source Title

The Journal of Antimicrobial Chemotherapy

DOI

10.1093/jac/dkw539

ISSN

0305-7453

School

School of Pharmacy and Biomedical Sciences

URI

http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/67550

Collection

Curtin Research Publications

Abstract

Objectives: To investigate the genetic context associated with the emergence of vanA VRE in Australia. Methods: The whole genomes of 18 randomly selected vanA-positive Enterococcus faecium patient isolates, collected between 2011 and 2013 from hospitals in four Australian capitals, were sequenced and analysed. Results: In silico typing and transposon/plasmid assembly revealed that the sequenced isolates represented (in most cases) different hospital-adapted STs and were associated with a variety of different Tn1546 variants and plasmid backbone structures. Conclusions: The recent emergence of vanA VRE in Australia was polyclonal and not associatedwith the dissemination of a single 'dominant' ST or vanA-encoding plasmid. Interestingly, the factors contributing to this epidemiological change are not known and future studies may need to consider investigation of potential community sources.