Characterization of a Vancomycin-Resistant Enterococcus faecalis (VREF) Isolate from a Dog with Mastitis: Further Evidence of a Clonal Lineage of VREF in New Zealand

Abstract

ABSTRACT We report here on the characterization of a vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus faecalis (VREF) isolated from a dog with mastitis. The isolate was positive for the vanA , ermB , and tet (M) genes, with vanA and ermB carried on the same transferable plasmid. Comparison of this isolate with VREF from poultry and human sources in New Zealand demonstrated identical Sma I macrorestriction patterns and Tn 1546 -like elements. This is further evidence of a clonal lineage of VREF in New Zealand.