Multidrug and vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus isolates in different productive stages of a poultry farm

The poultry industry represents an important economic sector in Argentina. In this study we recovered 26 vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus (VRE) isolates from different productive stages of a poultry farm located in Tandil, Argentina. Ten isolates were Enterococcus faecium and seven, Enterococcus faecalis. Total resistance to vancomycin (96.2%), erythromycin (80.8%), levofloxacin (57.7%), chloramphenicol (26.7%), penicillin (23.1%), ampicillin (7.7%) was detected and 20 isolates (76.9%) were identified as multidrug-resistant (MDR). With respect to the distribution of glycopeptide resistance genes, 57.7% of the isolates harbored the vanC-1 gene, and 11.5%, carried the vanC-2/C-3 gene. The vanA and vanB variants were not detected. This study provides evidence that healthy chickens from the studied region can be a reservoir of MDR-VRE. Further surveillance should be conducted to control their dissemination through the food chain.