Vancomycin resistance in Enterococcus faecium isolated from Danish chicken meat is located on a pVEF4-like plasmid persisting in poultry for 18 years.

The occurrence of vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus faecium (VREfm) in food is relevant to public health as foodborne VREfm may colonize the gut of consumers and transfer vancomycin resistance genes to the indigenous gut microbiota. Therefore, we determined occurrence and elucidated genetic traits of VREfm in Danish retail chicken meat. Three out of 40 samples (7.

Susceptibility of vancomycin-resistant and -sensitive Enterococcus faecium obtained from Danish hospitals to benzalkonium chloride, chlorhexidine and hydrogen peroxide biocides.

Purpose: In Danish hospitals, the number of infections caused by vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus faecium (VRE faecium) has dramatically increased in recent years. Hospital disinfectants are essential in eliminating pathogenic microorganisms, and reduced susceptibility may contribute to hospital-associated infections. We have addressed whether clinical VRE faecium display decreased biocide susceptibility when compared to vancomycin-sensitive Enterococcus faecium (VSE faecium) isolates.