Lancet Microbe Study Sheds Light on Antibiotic Resistance in Enterococcus faecium

A pivotal study published in Lancet Microbe has placed the spotlight on the accuracy of determining antibiotic resistance through whole genome sequences from Enterococcus faecium. This bacterium is notorious for causing hospital-acquired infections and demonstrating resistance to several common antibiotics, including ampicillin and vancomycin.

Antimicrobial Resistance: A Global Threat

The World Health Organization (WHO) has identified antimicrobial resistance (AMR) as one of the top global public health threats. This signals the urgency for precise diagnostic methodologies. The study under discussion, involving 4,382 E. faecium isolates, spans from 2000 to 2018 and includes data from eleven countries.

ARIBA Software: A Powerful Tool in the Fight Against AMR

Researchers employed the ARIBA software to analyze bacterial genomes for genes and mutations that could predict AMR. This data was then compared with phenotypic antibiotic resistance. The outcome was the curation of a database containing 316 genetic determinants of AMR. These include mutations and acquired genes that can accurately predict resistance to several antibiotics like ampicillin and vancomycin.

A New Database for Diagnostic and Surveillance Purposes

The newly developed database demonstrated an equivalent or higher accuracy than existing databases. This makes it a valuable tool for diagnostic purposes and surveillance of AMR in E. faecium. The study emphasizes that whole genome sequencing is gaining popularity in clinical and public health microbiology laboratories for AMR diagnosis. It also underlines the necessity for further research to improve predictive accuracy for certain antibiotics and to fully characterize the genetic basis of resistance.