Variation within the vat (E) Allele of Enterococcus faecium Isolates from Retail Poultry Samples

Abstract
In a survey of retail meat samples, twelve quinupristin-dalfopristin-resistant (MICs, ≥4 mg/liter) Enterococcus faecium isolates that carried a vat (E) gene were recovered. DNA sequence comparison revealed five new variations in the vat (E) allele among 12 isolates, which were designated vat (E-4) through vat (E-8); two isolates had vat (E-1). There was no correlation between the number of base changes and the quinupristin-dalfopristin MIC.