BMC Microbiology (Sep 2024)

Linezolid-resistant Enterococcus faecium clinical isolates from Pakistan: a genomic analysis

  • Syed Ali Raza Nasir,
  • Mohammad Zeeshan,
  • Najia Ghanchi,
  • Noureen Saeed,
  • Hassan Ghayas,
  • Sadaf Zaka,
  • Javaria Ashraf,
  • Kauser Jabeen,
  • Joveria Farooqi,
  • Zahra Hasan,
  • Tazeen Fatima,
  • Faiza Rezwan,
  • Syed Faisal Mahmood,
  • Mehreen Arshad,
  • Erum Khan,
  • Egon A. Ozer,
  • Rumina Hasan

DOI
https://doi.org/10.1186/s12866-024-03491-2
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 24, no. 1
pp. 1 – 9

Abstract

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Abstract Background Linezolid-resistant Enterococcus faecium (LRE) is a global priority pathogen. Thirteen LRE were reported from clinical specimens between November 2021 and April 2023 at two laboratories in Karachi, Pakistan. We aimed to investigate the strain types and genes associated with linezolid resistance among these isolates. Whole genome sequencing (WGS) was performed and analyzed by multilocus sequence typing (MLST). The presence of linezolid resistance genes was identified using ResFinder v4.1.11 and the LRE-finder tool. Results Twelve isolates belonged to clonal complex 17 (CC17); ST80 (n = 10), ST612 (n = 1) and ST1380 (n = 1). Six isolates showed the presence of optrA gene and G2576T mutations in the 23S rRNA gene, while six showed poxtA and cfr(D) genes. One isolate showed the combination of optrA, cfr(D) and poxtA genes. Conclusion Our findings show the circulation of CC17 sequence types with a known outbreak potential and we identified molecular mechanisms of resistance that were not previously reported from Pakistan.

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