First Report of the Local Spread of Vancomycin-Resistant Enterococci Ascribed to the Interspecies Transmission of a <i>vanA</i> Gene Cluster-Carrying Linear Plasmid
Yusuke Hashimoto, Izumi Kita, Masato Suzuki, Hidetada Hirakawa, Hirofumi Ohtaki, Haruyoshi Tomita
Abstract
Increasing multidrug resistance, including vancomycin resistance, in enterococci is a major concern in clinical settings. Horizontal gene transfer, such as via plasmids, has been shown to play a crucial role in the acquisition of vancomycin resistance. Among vancomycin resistance types, the VanA type is one of the most prevalent, and outbreaks caused by VanA-type vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE) have occurred worldwide. Here, we describe an enterococcal linear plasmid responsible for multispecies local spread of VanA-type VRE. Such a study is important because although hospital outbreaks caused by mixed enterococcal species have been reported, this particular spread indicates plasmid transfer across species. This is a crucial finding because the high risk for such a spread of antimicrobial resistance calls for regular monitoring and surveillance.