Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 30, 2026

Detection of Horizontal Gene Transfer Mediated by Natural Conjugative Plasmids in E. coli
Published on: March 24, 2023
Presence of glycopeptide-encoding plasmids in enterococcal isolates from food and humans in Denmark
Lourdes Garcia-Migura1, Antonio J Sanchez-Valenzuela, Lars Bogø Jensen
1National Food Institute, Division of Microbiology and Risk Assessment, Antimicrobial Resistance Unit, Technical University of Denmark, Lyngby, Denmark. lourdes.migura@cresa.uab.cat
Abstract:
Enterococci and especially glycopeptides-resistant enterococci (GRE) are a growing concern due to their ability to cause infections in hospitals. Transmission of antimicrobial resistance between reservoirs such as animals, meat, and humans are in most cases linked to transmission of mobile genetic elements (MGE) such as plasmids and transposons. Presence of MGE was tested in all GRE isolated from food in Denmark in 2005-2007 including the first vanA mediated Enterococcus faecalis isolated from food. The ability of these plasmids to transfer and persist among enterococci was investigated using newly developed techniques for classification of plasmids. Replicons associated with sex pheromone-inducible plasmids were detected in all GR E. faecalis, whereas GR Enterococcus faecium contained plasmids known to be widely distributed among enterococci. vanA resistance is common in E. faecium isolates from meat and animals in Europe and is rarely found in E. faecalis. This article describes the first characterization of MGE from vanA mediated E. faecalis, thus linking this resistance genotype to pheromone responding plasmids.
Related Concept Videos
Bacterial Gastroenteritis
Inhibitors of Gram-positive Cell Wall Synthesis
Plasmids
Genomic DNA in Prokaryotes
Genomic Diversity in Bacteria
Although bacterial genomes are much...

