Abstract
Vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus faecium (VREfm) is an opportunistic pathogen among the highest global priorities regarding public and environmental health. Following the One Health approach, we determined for the first time the antibiotic resistance and virulence genes and sequence type (ST) affiliation of VREfm recovered simultaneously from marine beach waters, the submarine outfall of a wastewater treatment plant and untreated discharge of sewage into the sea. Importantly, VREfm recovered from wastewater and coastal bathing waters shared similar virulence, multidrug resistance and ST profiles, posing a major threat to public health. All isolates carried the vanA gene, aminoglycoside-resistance genes aac(6')-Ieaph(2'')-Ia, and aph(2'')-Ib and aph(2'')-Id. The hyl gene was the most prevalent virulence gene. The isolates belonged to 10 STs of the CC17 clonal complex, a major epidemic lineage associated with hospital-acquired infections and outbreaks, with ST117 and ST889 common to waterborne and hospital isolates, suggesting their sewage-driven dissemination.
Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
