You are here:
OCCURRENCE OF VANCOMYCIN RESISTANT ENTEROCOCCI IN ANIMAL FECES
Citation:
Rice*, E W., C H. Johnson*, AND L DeMaria*. OCCURRENCE OF VANCOMYCIN RESISTANT ENTEROCOCCI IN ANIMAL FECES. Presented at International Conference on Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy, Chicago, IL, 9/22-25/2001.
Description:
A survey was conducted to determine the occurrence of vancomycin resistant Enterococci (VRE) in animal and human fecal samples. A selective agar mEI, and mEI supplemented with 4 micrograms/ml vancomycin was used in a membrane filtration procedure to determine quantitative levels of Enterococci and VRE. Fecal samples from 14 animal species (80 individuals) and from 20 human subjects were analyzed. Over 900 VRE isolates were characterized based upon reactions on bile esculin agar, salt (6.5%) tolerance, acidification of Methyl-a-D-Fluco-Pyranoside (MGP), motility, catalase, and pigment production. Representative isolates from each animal and human species were identified to the species level using a commercial test kit and analyzed for vancomycin resistant genes using PCR primer sets for van A, van B, van C1, C2. Minimum inhibitory concentrations (MIC) for vancomycin and teicoplanin were also determined. None of the isolates exhibited high level vancomycin resistance (MIC greater than to equal to 32). Every animal species carried low level VRE (MIC < 10), with a carriage rate of over 85%. The human VRE (MIC less than or equal to 12), carriage rate was 20%. Greater than 99% of the VRE isolates were Enterococcus casseliflavus with the remaining isolates being E. gallinarum, all of which exhibited intermediate resistance to vancomycin and sensitivity to teicoplanin (MIC is less than or equal to 4). E. casseliflavus has been reported as being of environmental origin however, this study comfirms its presence as a fecal organism common to various animal species.