Abstract

GAGETTI, Paula et al. Resistance to β-lactams in enterococci. Rev. argent. microbiol. [online]. 2019, vol.51, n.2, pp.179-183. ISSN 0325-7541.  http://dx.doi.org/j.ram.2018.01.007.

Enterococci are intrinsically resistant to several antimicrobial classes and show a great ability to acquire new mechanisms of resistance. Resistance to β-lactam antibiotics is a major concern because these drugs either alone or in combination are commonly used for the treatment of enterococcal infections. Ampicillin resistance, which is rare in Enterococcus faecium occurs in most of the hospital-associated Enterococcus faecium isolates. High-level resistance to ampicillin in E. faecium is mainly due to the enhanced production of PBP5 and/or by polymorphisms in the beta subunit of this protein. The dissemination of high-level ampicillin resistance can be the result of both clonal spread of strains with mutated pbp5 genes and resistance horizontal gene transfer.

Keywords : Enterococci; Enterococcus faecalis; Enterococcus faecium; β-Lactams; Antimicrobial resistance.

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