Events

At this seminar Dr Glen Carter from the Department of Microbiology and Immunology at the Doherty Institute, presents The emergence of near pan-resistant vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus faecium and why we should give a cr@p!

About Dr Glen Carter

Dr Glen Carter is a Senior Research Fellow in the Department of Microbiology & Immunology at the University of Melbourne. His current research focuses on defining the molecular mechanisms of last resort antimicrobial resistance in multidrug resistance organisms including vancomycin resistant Enterococcus faecium and Staphylococcus aureus and on understanding how the gut microbiome can prevent colonisation of the gastrointestinal tract by enteric pathogens. He has an active antimicrobial drug development program aimed at developing novel antimicrobials that can be used to treat multidrug and extensively drug resistant bacterial pathogens. He has previously held research positions at the University of Nottingham, UK and Monash University. His research on antimicrobial resistance and bacterial pathogenicity in enteric pathogens is recognised internationally and he is the recipient of several NHMRC research grants, as well as university and industry funding that have supported his research in these fields. He is currently an editorial board member at the journal Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy and a review editor at Frontiers in Microbiology.

Abstract

Vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus faecium (VREfm) is an important nosocomial pathogen that causes a range of diseases, including urinary tract infections, endocarditis and bacteremia. Particularly noteworthy is the fact that a majority of infections arise from VREfm colonisation within the patient’s own gastrointestinal tract. Given its resistance to nearly all clinical antimicrobials, the World Health Organization has designated VRE as a priority pathogen, with linezolid and daptomycin representing last-resort antimicrobials for treating infections caused by multidrug and extensively drug-resistant VREfm. Consequently, reports detailing resistance to these crucial antimicrobials are a cause for considerable clinical concern. Here, we identify the emergence of a near pan-resistant clone of VREfm, both nationally in Australia and on a global scale, and additionally, define a new major mechanism of daptomycin-resistance in VREfm. We also highlight the importance of antimicrobial use as a driver of gastrointestinal tract colonisation by VREfm and subsequent recrudescent disease and transmission. Finally, our findings demonstrate the efficacy of manipulating the microbiome through therapeutic faecal microbiota transplants (FMT) as an effective strategy to decolonise the gut of VREfm and block onwards transmission.