TY - JOUR T1 - Clonal dissemination of vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus faecium ST412 in a Brazilian region JO - The Brazilian Journal of Infectious Diseases T2 - AU - Alves,Geraldo da Silva AU - Pereira,Monalessa Fábia AU - Bride,Lais de Lima AU - Nunes,Ana Paula Ferreira AU - Schuenck,Ricardo Pinto SN - 14138670 M3 - 10.1016/j.bjid.2017.07.001 DO - 10.1016/j.bjid.2017.07.001 UR - https://www.bjid.org.br/en-clonal-dissemination-vancomycin-resistant-enterococcus-faecium-articulo-S1413867017303926 AB - Vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus faecium (VREfm) has emerged as an important global nosocomial pathogen, and this trend is associated with the spread of high-risk clones. Here, we determined the genetic and phenotypic features of 93 VREfm isolates that were obtained from patients in 13 hospitals in Vitória, Espírito Santo, Brazil, during 2012–2013. All the isolates were vancomycin-resistant and harbored the vanA gene. Only 6 (6.5%) of the VREfm isolates showed the ability to form biofilm. The 93 isolates analyzed belong to a single pulsed-field gel electrophoresis lineage and presented six subtypes. MLST genotyping showed that all VREfm belonged to ST412 (the high-risk clone, hospital-adapted). The present study describes the dissemination of ST412 clone in the local hospitals. The clonal spread of these ST412 isolates in the area we analyzed as well as other hospitals in southeastern Brazil supports the importance of identifying and controlling the presence of these microorganisms in health care-related services. ER -