Vancomycin-resistant enterococci VRE is reported to be the major cause of morbidity and mortality in immunocompromised patients. It is crucial to understand the tracking of dissemination of VRE strains, the dynamics of emergence and spread of VRE in the hospital setting. Whole-genome sequencing and phylogenetic analysis were done for a study to recognize dominant VRE strains and potential transmission network between 35 patients in the VRE positive rectal swabs and their rooms on leukemia and the now hematopoietic cell transplant floors. Researchers also collected the sequence types, drug-resistant genes, and patient outcomes to study them further. A total of 89 VRE strains were grouped into 10 different STs, of which newly described STs were isolated from both floors (ST736, ST494, ST772, and ST1516). They observed highly genetically related strains transmission between rooms, floors, and time periods in an average period of 39 days (ranging from 3 to 90 days). Of 5 VRE bacteremia events, 3 strains lacked the pili operon fms14–17–13 (ST203), and the remaining 2 were resistant to daptomycin (DAP; ST736, ST664). Of 10 patients harboring DAP-resistant strains, only 2 were exposed to DAP within 4 months before strain recovery. ItThe studies confirmed the horizontal transfer of highly related genetic damages of multi-drug resistant VRE strains between HCT and LKM patients.
Link:academic.oup.com/cid/article-abstract/73/12/2306/6075650?redirectedFrom=fulltext
