Identification and Characterization ofvanB2Glycopeptide Resistance Elements in Enterococci Isolated in Scotland

ABSTRACTThirty-two vanBglycopeptide-resistant enterococci (28Enterococcus faeciumand 4 Enterococcus faecalis) were collected from hospitalized patients in Glasgow, Edinburgh, Dundee, and Aberdeen, Scotland, and the vanBelement in each was compared to vanB1of E. faecalisstrain ATCC 51299. HhaI digestion of PCR fragments of the vanBligase gene was used to identifyvanBsubtypes. All E. faeciumisolates werevanB2, and all E. faecalisisolates werevanB1. Restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis of a 5,180-bp vanSB-vanXBlong-PCR fragment of the vanBcluster showed the loss ofHaeII restriction sites in vanSB,vanW, and vanXBin strains containing a vanB2ligase gene. Partial sequences of genes in the vanB2cluster for two genomically distinct Scottish isolates were >99.8% identical to each other.vanSB2, vanXB2, andvanB2sequences differed at the nucleotide level from those of vanSB, vanXB, andvanBby 4.2, 4.6, and 4.8%, respectively. ThevanB2resistance element appears to be widespread among VanB glycopeptide-resistant E. faeciumstrains isolated in Scottish hospitals.