Emergence of VanD-type vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus faecium in Stockholm, Sweden

Abstract

A vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus faecium isolate from the urine of a liver transplant patient in Stockholm was found to contain a vanD gene. The sequence of the vanD PCR product shared 100%; identity with the vanD5 allele. The isolate was resistant to a relatively high level of vancomycin (128mg/L) and a low level of teicoplanin (4mg/L). This is the first VanD-type vancomycin-resistant E. faecium isolate reported in Sweden. The emergence of this strain reinforces the necessity of infection control efforts to interrupt the spread of these organisms. © 2007 European Society of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases.