Genes homologous to glycopeptide resistance van A are widespread in soil microbial communities
Abstract
The occurrence of d-Ala : d-Lac ligase genes homologous to glycopeptide resistance vanA was studied in samples of agricultural (n=9) and garden (n=3) soil by culture-independent methods. Cloning and sequencing of nested degenerate PCR products obtained from soil DNA revealed the occurrence of d-Ala : d-Ala ligase genes unrelated to vanA. In order to enhance detection of vanA-homologous genes, a third PCR step was added using primers targeting vanA in soil Paenibacillus. Sequencing of 25 clones obtained by this method allowed recovery of 23 novel sequences having 86-100% identity with vanA in enterococci. Such sequences were recovered from all agricultural samples as well as from two garden samples with no history of organic fertilization. The results indicated that soil is a rich and assorted reservoir of genes closely related to those conferring glycopeptide resistance in clinical bacteria.
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Genes nearly identical to those of the vanA gene cluster have been found in soil organisms such as Paenibacillus thiaminoluticus and P. apiaries.
“Genes nearly identical to those of the vanA gene cluster (the most prevalent in clinical enterococcal strains) have been found in soil organisms such as Paenibacillus thiaminoluticus and P. apiaries (75).”
From Mechanisms of Antibiotic Resistance (2016) · cites this paper as [75]
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“Genes nearly identical to those of the vanA gene cluster (the most prevalent in clinical enterococcal strains) have been found in soil organisms such as Paenibacillus thiaminolyticus and Paenibacillus apiarius (75).”
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“The vanA and related genes in soil are widespread and diverse (Guardabassi & Agerso, 2006), thus serving as the glycopeptide resistance gene pool, readily available for mobilization by bacteria in other ecosystems, in particular of the gastrointestinal tract.”
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“These results are consistent with other studies of AR in soils (Walsh and Duffy, 2013; Guardabassi and Agersø, 2006; Schmitt et al., 2006; Demanèche et al., 2008; Davelos et al., 2004) and are to be expected because antibiotic-resistant bacteria and their genes are a normal and natural part of…”
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“…were selected due to the abundance of resistant microorganisms in the environment (e.g. Esiobu et al., 2002; Kümmerer, 2004; D’Costa et al., 2006; Guardabassi & Agerso, 2006; Schmitt et al., 2006; Patterson et al., 2007): ampC (ampicillin resistance), mecA (methicillin resistance), SHV…”
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“Furthermore, vanHAX was later identified in glycopeptide-resistant environmental strains of Paenibacillus and many other soil organisms, which do no impact human health, demonstrating that glycopeptide resistance was not restricted to human pathogens (Hong et al. 2004; Guardabassi et al. 2005; D’Costa et al. 2006; Gua…”
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- Authors
- Guardabassi, L., & Agersø, Y.
- ORCID
- Guardabassi, Luca
- Venue
- FEMS Microbiology Letters
- Publisher
- Oxford University Press (OUP)
- Published
- 2006-06
- Volume
- 259
- Issue
- 2
- Pages
- 221-225
- ISSN
- 0378-1097 (ISSN-L)
- 1574-6968
- OpenAlex
- W2033400366
- Cited by
- 47
- References
- 22
- Citations by year
- 2026: 1 · 2025: 2 · 2024: 2 · 2023: 2 · 2022: 2 · 2021: 1 · 2020: 3 · 2019: 3 · 2017: 2 · 2016: 3 · 2015: 2 · 2014: 3 · 2013: 2 · 2012: 6
- FWCI
- 1.36
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- FEMS Microbiology Letters (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Research at the University of Copenhagen (University of Copenhagen) (submittedVersion)
- Technical University of Denmark, DTU Orbit (Technical University of Denmark, DTU) (submittedVersion)
- Topics
- Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Molecular Medicine › Antibiotic Resistance in Bacteria
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Infectious Diseases › Antimicrobial Resistance in Staphylococcus
- Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Pollution › Pharmaceutical and Antibiotic Environmental Impacts
- Keywords
- vanA gene, glycopeptide resistance, soil microbial communities, horizontal gene transfer, antibiotic resistance genes, Paenibacillus, Enterococcus, agricultural soils, garden soil, novel gene sequences
- MeSH terms
- Bacteria, Bacterial Proteins, Base Sequence, Cloning, Molecular, DNA, Bacterial, Genes, Bacterial, Phylogeny, Soil Microbiology, Teicoplanin, Carbon-Oxygen Ligases, Vancomycin Resistance, Drug Resistance, Bacterial
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