Full Length Research Paper

Molecular characterization of enterococcus strains isolated from cases of neonatal sepsis in neonatal intensive care unit

Rasha A. Alm El-Din¹* and Heba Said El-Mahdy²

Department of Medical Microbiology and Immunology and Pediatrics, Tanta Faculty of Medicine, Tanta, Egypt.

*Corresponding author. E-mail: [email protected].  Tel: (+2) 01225210409

Accepted  1 November, 2013

Abstract 

This work aimed at determining the occurrence, species prevalence, antibacterial resistance, and genetic characteristics of vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE) isolated from cases of neonatal sepsis at neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). Out of 134 blood samples of neonatal sepsis enterococci were isolated from 111 cases. Of these 111 strains VRE strains were identified and the resistance genotype was determined by polymerase chain reaction (PCR). The results of the study showed that 3 isolates (2.98%) were identified as VRE in cases of early onset sepsis and 5 isolates (4.47%) were identified as VRE in cases of late onset sepsis. The majority of the isolates were resistant to erythromycin (57.7%), ciprofloxacin (45.9%), where all isolates were susceptible to linezolid except one isolate (0.9%) of Enterococcus faecium. This study showed that 4 strains of Enterococcus faecalis, and all of E. faecium and Enterococcus gallinarum strains were positive for VanA genotype. VanB products were detected in three isolates (two strains of E. feacalis and one strain of E. feacium), and PCR of the VanC gene was obtained from two isolates (one E. gallinarum specimen, and one E. feacium specimen). This study showed an emergence of VRE along with increased rate of multidrug-resistant enterococci in cases of neonatal sepsis. Regular surveillance of antimicrobial susceptibilities should be done regularly and the risk factors should be determined.

Key words: Vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE), vancomycin, neonatal sepsis, neonatal intensive care unit (NICU).