First Characterization of a Cluster of VanA-Type Glycopeptide-Resistant Enterococcus faecium, Colombia

摘要

From August 1998 to October 1999, glycopeptide-resistant enterococci (GRE) were isolated from 23infected patients at a teaching hospital in Medellín, Colombia. Identification at the species level and bymultiplex polymerase chain reaction assay indicated that all isolates were Enterococcus faecium. The iso-lates were highly resistant to ampicillin, ciprofloxacin, gentamicin, penicillin, streptomycin, teicoplanin, andvancomycin; they were susceptible only to chloramphenicol, linezolid, and nitrofurantoin. Determination ofglycopeptide genotype indicated the presence of the vanA gene in all isolates. Molecular typing by pulsedfield gel electrophoresis showed that all isolates were closely related. This study is the first molecular char-acterization of GRE in Colombia