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Virulome and genome-wide association study of vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus faecium from bloodstream infections

Christian W Böing1, Julia S Schneider1, Neele J Froböse2

  • 1Institute of Hygiene, University Hospital Münster, Münster, Germany.

International Journal of Medical Microbiology : IJMM
|November 19, 2025
PubMed
Abstract

Insights

This study investigated virulence factors in vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus faecium (VREfm) bloodstream infections (VRE-BSI). Researchers found no distinct genetic profile associated with VRE-BSI development, despite identifying the ST80 sequence type as more prevalent in VRE-BSI cases.

Area of Science:

  • Microbiology
  • Genomics
  • Infectious Diseases

Background:

  • Vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus faecium (VREfm) are significant multidrug-resistant pathogens causing nosocomial infections.
  • Limited knowledge exists regarding VREfm virulence profiles contributing to invasive infections.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To analyze gene profiles and genetic variants of VREfm.
  • To determine the association between these profiles and the development of VREfm bloodstream infections (VRE-BSI).

Main Methods:

  • Whole genome sequencing (WGS) of 120 VRE-BSI and 120 VREfm colonization (VRE-COL) isolates.
  • Analysis of known or putative virulence genes in E. faecium.
  • Genome-wide association study (GWAS) to identify gene/variant associations with VRE-BSI.

Main Results:

  • Multilocus sequence typing (MLST) revealed ST80 and ST117 as prevalent types.
  • ST80 was significantly more common in VRE-BSI isolates compared to VRE-COL isolates (p=0.027).
  • The fms21 (pilA) gene was more prevalent in VRE-BSI, but GWAS found no significant gene or variant associations with VRE-BSI.

Conclusions:

  • Comparative genomics and GWAS did not identify a distinct virulence profile for VRE-BSI development.
  • Further research may be needed to elucidate the factors driving VREfm invasive infections.
Keywords:
Bloodstream infectionGenome-wide association studyVancomycin-resistant enterococcusVirulence factorsVirulome

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