Detection of vanC 1 gene transcription in vancomycin-susceptible Enterococcus faecalis

• Main Authors: Tiane Martin de Moura, Ana Paula Vaz Cassenego, Fabricio Souza Campos, Andrea Machado Leal Ribeiro, Ana Claudia Franco, Pedro Alves d'Azevedo, Jeverson Frazzon, Ana Paula Guedes Frazzon
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Instituto Oswaldo Cruz, Ministério da Saúde 2013-06-01
• Series: Memórias do Instituto Oswaldo Cruz.
• Subjects: Enterococcus faecalis; vancomycin resistance; vanC gene; horizontal gene transfer
• Online Access: http://www.scielo.br/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S0074-02762013000400453&lng=en&tlng=en

Here we report the presence and expression levels of the vanC 1 and vanC 2/3 genes in vancomycin-susceptible strains of Enterococcus faecalis. The vanC 1 and vanC 2/3 genes were located in the plasmid DNA and on the chromosome, respectively. Specific mRNA of the vanC 1 gene was detected in one of these strains. Additionally, analysis of the vanC gene sequences showed that these genes are related to the vanC genes of Enterococcus gallinarum and Enterococcus casseliflavus. The presence of vanC genes is useful for the identification of E. gallinarum and E. casseliflavus. Moreover, this is the first report of vanC mRNA in E. faecalis.