Epidemiology of Enterococcus faecium isolates sampled from different sources in Romania using MLST technique and eBURST algorithm

Ioan BĂCILĂ; Endre JAKAB; Dana ŞUTEU; Octavian POPESCU

doi:10.55779/nsb15211546

Authors

Ioan BĂCILĂ National Institute of Research and Development for Biological Sciences, Institute of Biological Research, Department of Experimental Biology; 48 Republicii St., 400015 Cluj-Napoca (RO) https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5591-1926
Endre JAKAB Babeș-Bolyai University, Faculty of Biology and Geology, Hungarian Department for Biology and Ecology, 5-7 Clinicilor St., 400006 Cluj-Napoca; Babeș-Bolyai University, Centre for Systems Biology, Biodiversity and Bioresources, 5-7 Clinicilor St., 400006 Cluj-Napoca; Babeș-Bolyai University, Molecular Biology Centre, Interdisciplinary Research Institute on Bio-Nano-Sciences, 42 Treboniu Laurian St., Cluj-Napoca, 400394 (RO) https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3100-7083
Dana ŞUTEU National Institute of Research and Development for Biological Sciences, Institute of Biological Research, Department of Experimental Biology; 48 Republicii St., 400015 Cluj-Napoca (RO)
Octavian POPESCU Institute of Biology Bucharest of the Romanian Academy, 296 Splaiul Independenței St., Bucharest, 060031; Babeș-Bolyai University, Molecular Biology Centre, Interdisciplinary Research Institute on Bio-Nano-Sciences, 42 Treboniu Laurian St., Cluj-Napoca, 400394; Babeș-Bolyai University, Emil G. Racoviță Institute, 5-7 Clinicilor St., Cluj-Napoca, 400006 (RO) https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2597-7155

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.55779/nsb15211546

Keywords:

eBURST, Enterococcus faecium, epidemiology, MLST

Abstract

Enterococcus faecium is emerging as an important cause of multidrug resistance and hospital acquired infections, special attention being paid to the vancomycin resistant species. Therefore, the characterization of pathogenic strains/isolates plays an important role in the epidemiology of infectious diseases. The enterococcal rate was determined from wastewaters in Cluj-Napoca area. As presence of E. faecium was detected, a number of isolates from wastewater, birds and humans were epidemiologically analyzed according to the MLST website. Comparisons were performed against a collection of available isolates, with multiple origins, contained in the MLST database. Out of the Enterococcus isolates collected from wastewater, 11 were identified as E. faecalis (40.74%); 8 as E. casseliflavus (29.62%); 5 as E. faecium (18.50%); 2 as E. gallinarum (7.40%) and one isolate as E. durans. Based on the MLST data and using the eBURST algorithm, the isolates of E. faecium sampled from Romania were split in three groups: one group comprised isolates from human hosts and wastewater (Cj316, 106/6, Cj197, Cj22, 129/6, Cj117, Cj24, 284/7, and 43/7), while the second (G9, G10-2, G7, G3-2, and G9-1) and the third group (G8, G6, and 40/7) originated from bird hosts. The rest of the isolates were not joined in a particular group, assuming the lack of a phylogenetic bond between these isolates. The obtained data suggested the existence of at least two phylogenetic lines of E. faecium in Romania: a line that had mainly human host prevalence, while in the other line the animal hosts dominated.

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