Molecular Characterization of Vancomycin-Resistant <i>Enterococcus</i> spp. from Clinical Samples and Identification of a Novel Sequence Type in Mexico
<b>Background:</b><i>Enterococcus</i> spp. is the third leading cause of healthcare-associated infections in the American continent, often because of the virulence factors that protect the bacterium against host defenses and facilitate tissue attachment and genetic material e...
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2025-06-01
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| author | Raúl Alejandro Atriano Briano Nallely S. Badillo-Larios Perla Niño-Moreno Luis Fernando Pérez-González Edgar A. Turrubiartes-Martínez |
| author_facet | Raúl Alejandro Atriano Briano Nallely S. Badillo-Larios Perla Niño-Moreno Luis Fernando Pérez-González Edgar A. Turrubiartes-Martínez |
| author_sort | Raúl Alejandro Atriano Briano |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | <b>Background:</b><i>Enterococcus</i> spp. is the third leading cause of healthcare-associated infections in the American continent, often because of the virulence factors that protect the bacterium against host defenses and facilitate tissue attachment and genetic material exchange. In addition, vancomycin, considered a last-resort treatment, has shown reduced efficacy in <i>Enterococcus</i> spp. strains. However, the relationship between bacterial resistance and virulence factors remains unclear. This study intends to evaluate the prevalence of glycopeptide-resistant genotypes and virulence factors in <i>Enterococcus</i> spp. strains. <b>Methods:</b> Over six months, 159 <i>Enterococcus</i> spp. strains causing nosocomial infections were analyzed. Multiplex PCR was performed to identify species, glycopeptide-resistant genotypes, and 12 virulence factors. <b>Results:</b> The most abundant species identified were <i>Enterococcus faecalis</i> and <i>E. faecium</i>. Vancomycin resistance was observed in 10.7% of the isolates, and the <i>vanA</i> genotype was present in 47% of resistant samples. The main virulence factors detected were <i>acm</i> (54%), which is related to cell adhesion; gel E (66%), a metalloproteinase linked to tissue damage; and the sex pheromones <i>cpd</i> (64%) and <i>ccf</i> (84%), which are involved in horizontal gene transfer. A significant association was found between the prevalence of <i>acm</i>, <i>ccf</i>, and <i>cpd</i> in VRE isolates, indicating the potential dissemination of genes to emerging strains via horizontal gene transfer. In addition, a new <i>E. faecium</i>, which displayed five virulence factors and harbored the <i>vanA</i> sequence type, was identified and registered as ST2700. <b>Conclusions:</b><i>Enterococcus faecalis</i> and <i>E. faecium</i> are clinically critical due to multidrug resistance and virulence factors like <i>acm</i>, which aids host colonization. Genes <i>ccf</i> and <i>cpd</i> promote resistance spread via horizontal transfer, while the emerging ST2700 strain requires urgent monitoring to curb its virulent, drug-resistant spread. |
| format | Article |
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| institution | DOAJ |
| issn | 2079-6382 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-06-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
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| spelling | doaj-art-e2d3ebab81c44378b710eec84ed845992025-08-20T03:13:41ZengMDPI AGAntibiotics2079-63822025-06-0114766310.3390/antibiotics14070663Molecular Characterization of Vancomycin-Resistant <i>Enterococcus</i> spp. from Clinical Samples and Identification of a Novel Sequence Type in MexicoRaúl Alejandro Atriano Briano0Nallely S. Badillo-Larios1Perla Niño-Moreno2Luis Fernando Pérez-González3Edgar A. Turrubiartes-Martínez4Laboratory of Hematology, Faculty of Chemical Sciences, Autonomous University of San Luis Potosi, San Luis Potosi 78240, MexicoCenter of Research in Health Sciences and Biomedicine, Faculty of Medicine, Autonomous University of San Luis Potosi, San Luis Potosi 78210, MexicoCenter of Research in Health Sciences and Biomedicine, Faculty of Medicine, Autonomous University of San Luis Potosi, San Luis Potosi 78210, MexicoFaculty of Medicine, Autonomous University of San Luis Potosi, San Luis Potosi 78240, MexicoLaboratory of Hematology, Faculty of Chemical Sciences, Autonomous University of San Luis Potosi, San Luis Potosi 78240, Mexico<b>Background:</b><i>Enterococcus</i> spp. is the third leading cause of healthcare-associated infections in the American continent, often because of the virulence factors that protect the bacterium against host defenses and facilitate tissue attachment and genetic material exchange. In addition, vancomycin, considered a last-resort treatment, has shown reduced efficacy in <i>Enterococcus</i> spp. strains. However, the relationship between bacterial resistance and virulence factors remains unclear. This study intends to evaluate the prevalence of glycopeptide-resistant genotypes and virulence factors in <i>Enterococcus</i> spp. strains. <b>Methods:</b> Over six months, 159 <i>Enterococcus</i> spp. strains causing nosocomial infections were analyzed. Multiplex PCR was performed to identify species, glycopeptide-resistant genotypes, and 12 virulence factors. <b>Results:</b> The most abundant species identified were <i>Enterococcus faecalis</i> and <i>E. faecium</i>. Vancomycin resistance was observed in 10.7% of the isolates, and the <i>vanA</i> genotype was present in 47% of resistant samples. The main virulence factors detected were <i>acm</i> (54%), which is related to cell adhesion; gel E (66%), a metalloproteinase linked to tissue damage; and the sex pheromones <i>cpd</i> (64%) and <i>ccf</i> (84%), which are involved in horizontal gene transfer. A significant association was found between the prevalence of <i>acm</i>, <i>ccf</i>, and <i>cpd</i> in VRE isolates, indicating the potential dissemination of genes to emerging strains via horizontal gene transfer. In addition, a new <i>E. faecium</i>, which displayed five virulence factors and harbored the <i>vanA</i> sequence type, was identified and registered as ST2700. <b>Conclusions:</b><i>Enterococcus faecalis</i> and <i>E. faecium</i> are clinically critical due to multidrug resistance and virulence factors like <i>acm</i>, which aids host colonization. Genes <i>ccf</i> and <i>cpd</i> promote resistance spread via horizontal transfer, while the emerging ST2700 strain requires urgent monitoring to curb its virulent, drug-resistant spread.https://www.mdpi.com/2079-6382/14/7/663<i>Enterococcus</i>multidrug resistanceantibiotic resistancevancomycin-resistant enterococcusvirulence factorsmultilocus sequence typing |
| spellingShingle | Raúl Alejandro Atriano Briano Nallely S. Badillo-Larios Perla Niño-Moreno Luis Fernando Pérez-González Edgar A. Turrubiartes-Martínez Molecular Characterization of Vancomycin-Resistant <i>Enterococcus</i> spp. from Clinical Samples and Identification of a Novel Sequence Type in Mexico Antibiotics <i>Enterococcus</i> multidrug resistance antibiotic resistance vancomycin-resistant enterococcus virulence factors multilocus sequence typing |
| title | Molecular Characterization of Vancomycin-Resistant <i>Enterococcus</i> spp. from Clinical Samples and Identification of a Novel Sequence Type in Mexico |
| title_full | Molecular Characterization of Vancomycin-Resistant <i>Enterococcus</i> spp. from Clinical Samples and Identification of a Novel Sequence Type in Mexico |
| title_fullStr | Molecular Characterization of Vancomycin-Resistant <i>Enterococcus</i> spp. from Clinical Samples and Identification of a Novel Sequence Type in Mexico |
| title_full_unstemmed | Molecular Characterization of Vancomycin-Resistant <i>Enterococcus</i> spp. from Clinical Samples and Identification of a Novel Sequence Type in Mexico |
| title_short | Molecular Characterization of Vancomycin-Resistant <i>Enterococcus</i> spp. from Clinical Samples and Identification of a Novel Sequence Type in Mexico |
| title_sort | molecular characterization of vancomycin resistant i enterococcus i spp from clinical samples and identification of a novel sequence type in mexico |
| topic | <i>Enterococcus</i> multidrug resistance antibiotic resistance vancomycin-resistant enterococcus virulence factors multilocus sequence typing |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2079-6382/14/7/663 |
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