Vancomycin-resistant enterococcal infections

EF1025, a Hypothetical Protein From Enterococcus faecalis, Interacts With DivIVA and Affects Cell Length and Cell Shape

DivIVA plays multifaceted roles in Gram-positive organisms through its association with various cell division and non-cell division proteins. We report a novel DivIVA interacting protein in Enterococcus faecalis, named EF1025 (encoded by EF1025), which is conserved in Gram-positive bacteria. The interaction of EF1025 with DivIVA_Ef was confirmed by Bacterial Two-Hybrid, Glutathione S-Transferase pull-down, and co-immunoprecipitation assays. EF1025, which contains a DNA binding domain and two Cystathionine β-Synthase (CBS) domains, forms a decamer mediated by the two CBS domains. Viable cells were recovered after insertional inactivation or deletion of EF1025 only through complementation of EF1025 in trans. These cells were longer than the average length of E. faecalis cells and had distorted shapes. Overexpression of EF1025 also resulted in cell elongation. Immuno-staining revealed comparable localization patterns of EF1025 and DivIVA_Ef in the later stages of division in E. faecalis cells. In summary, EF1025 is a novel DivIVA interacting protein influencing cell length and morphology in E. faecalis.

Detection of vancomycin-resistant enterococci colonization in a children's hospital

BACKGROUND

Vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE) are important nosocomial pathogens in many hospitals. The true prevalence of VRE in pediatric hospitals is not known.

METHODS

A surveillance study was performed at a pediatric tertiary care medical center by using vancomycin-containing screening media.

RESULTS

Six children (of 112 screened) were found to be colonized with VRE. Colonized patients had a history of receiving broad-spectrum antimicrobial agents.

CONCLUSION

In the absence of VRE infections, surveillance studies can help determine the extent of VRE colonization and support infection control measures.

Genetic analysis of multiple vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus isolates obtained serially from two long-term-care patients

Fifty-eight vancomycin-resistant enterococcal isolates were obtained from two patients over 9 weeks. Numerous pulsed-field gel electrophoresis fingerprinting types were isolated from each patient. By PCR, all isolates were vanA+. However, many isolates from patient B were found to lack vanA by hybridization. Our results demonstrate the importance of examining multiple isolates, especially from patients who are at high risk of infection.

Rapid increase in the prevalence of antimicrobial drug resistance among enterococcal blood isolates in southern Israel

A prospective surveillance was conducted to monitor the prevalence and dynamics of antimicrobial resistance among enterococci isolated from blood cultures in southern Israel. A total of 242 organisms isolated between 1993 and 1996 were studied. The prevalence of Enterococcus faecalis significantly decreased during the study period, whereas that of Enterococcus faecium doubled. Antimicrobial drug resistance increased steadily among Enterococcus faecium isolates: resistance to ampicillin increased from 19% in 1993-1994 to 53% in 1995, and to 67% in 1996 (p = 0.005); during the same period, resistance to vancomycin increased from 0% to 20%, and to 50% (p = 0.002), and combined resistance to ampicillin and vancomycin and high-level resistance to gentamicin from 0% to 20% and to 38% (p < 0.02).