Antibiotic and disinfectant susceptibility profiles of vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus faecium (VRE) isolated from community wastewater in Texas. Academic Article uri icon

abstract

  • Vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus faecium (VRE) from human wastewater effluents in a nonclinical semiclosed agri-food system in Texas were characterized for susceptibility to antibiotics and disinfectants. The 50 VRE were resistant to eight fluoroquinolones and 10 of 17 antimicrobials typically active against Gram-positive organisms. The VRE were susceptible to quinupristin/dalfopristin and linezolid. Lack of the insertion element IS1251 correlated with VRE susceptibility to streptomycin and gentamicin at p < 0.0001 and p = 0.033, respectively. An association was observed between pulsed-field gel electrophoresis genotypes Ic and II and susceptibility to streptomycin at p = 0.0006. VRE susceptibility for nine disinfectants and five disinfectant components is shown. Ninety-two percent of the isolates had a minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) for triclosan > or =2 ppm. Triclosan MICs for many of the VRE were well over expected product application levels. No association was observed between antibiotic resistance and disinfectant susceptibility in these VRE. Enterococci multiply-resistant to vancomycin and aminoglycosides were found in a non-hospital environment where one would not expect to find them.

published proceedings

  • Bull Environ Contam Toxicol

author list (cited authors)

  • Beier, R. C., Duke, S. E., Ziprin, R. L., Harvey, R. B., Hume, M. E., Poole, T. L., ... Nisbet, D. J.

citation count

  • 33

complete list of authors

  • Beier, Ross C||Duke, Sara E||Ziprin, Richard L||Harvey, Roger B||Hume, Michael E||Poole, Toni L||Scott, H Morgan||Highfield, Linda D||Alali, Walid Q||Andrews, Kathleen||Anderson, Robin C||Nisbet, David J

publication date

  • January 2008