{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2025,12,31]],"date-time":"2025-12-31T20:15:14Z","timestamp":1767212114583,"version":"build-2065373602"},"reference-count":36,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"10","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2024,9,25]],"date-time":"2024-09-25T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1727222400000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Pathogens"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE) are considered one of the main nosocomial pathogens due to their increasing antibiotic resistance and ability to cause life-threatening infections in humans. This study included VRE isolates obtained from various specimens including urine, blood, faeces, wounds, sputum, and oral cavity wash. Of the 37 strains, 30 (81.1%) and 7 (18.9%) were identified by MALDI TOF as Enterococcus faecium and Enterococcus faecalis, respectively. The clinical vancomycin-resistant enterococci exhibited multi-drug resistance (MDR). Apart from vancomycin, the enterococci exhibited resistance to penicillins (89.1 to 100%), fluoroquinolones (100%), rifampicin (86.5%), tetracycline (27%), aminoglycosides (56.8 to 86.5%), quinupristin\u2013dalfopristin (35.1%), and chloramphenicol (10.8%). Moreover, resistance to linezolid and tigecycline emerged among the tested vancomycin-resistant enterococci. The analysis of aminoglycoside modifying enzyme (AME) genes showed the presence of bifunctional aac(6\u2032)-Ie-aph(2\u2033)-Ia genes contributed to high-level aminoglycoside resistance (HLAR) in the E. faecalis and E. faecium isolates. The other AME gene, i.e., aph(3\u2032)-IIIa, was also found in the VRE isolates. All strains carried the vanA gene. Enterococci from colonised gastrointestinal tracts (1\/2.7%) and from infection (6\/16.2%) showed cytotoxic activity against the human epithelial cell line HEp-2.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/pathogens13100827","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2024,9,25]],"date-time":"2024-09-25T17:12:04Z","timestamp":1727284324000},"page":"827","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":2,"title":["Cytotoxic Activity of Vancomycin-Resistant Enterococci Isolated from Hospitalised Patients"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"13","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-1278-7301","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Ewa","family":"Szczuka","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Biology, Institute of Experimental Biology, Adam Mickiewicz University in Pozna\u0144, Uniwersytetu Pozna\u0144skiego 6, 61-614 Pozna\u0144, Poland"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Dominika","family":"Rolnicka","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Biology, Institute of Experimental Biology, Adam Mickiewicz University in Pozna\u0144, Uniwersytetu Pozna\u0144skiego 6, 61-614 Pozna\u0144, Poland"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0005-4132-1948","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Maria","family":"Weso\u0142owska","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Biology, Institute of Experimental Biology, Adam Mickiewicz University in Pozna\u0144, Uniwersytetu Pozna\u0144skiego 6, 61-614 Pozna\u0144, Poland"},{"name":"Microbiology Laboratory, University Clinical Hospital in Pozna\u0144, ul. Przybyszewskiego 49, 60-355 Pozna\u0144, Poland"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2024,9,25]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Ramos, S., Silva, V., Dapkevicius, M., Igrejas, G., and Poeta, P. (2020). Enterococci, from harmless bacteria to a pathogen. Microorganisms, 25.","DOI":"10.20944\/preprints202007.0393.v1"},{"key":"ref_2","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Dubin, K., and Pamer, E.G. (2016). Enterococci and their interactions with the intestinal microbiome. Microbiol. Spectr., 5.","DOI":"10.1128\/microbiolspec.BAD-0014-2016"},{"key":"ref_3","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Fiore, E., Van Tyne, D., and Gilmore, M.S. (2019). Pathogenicity of enterococci. Microbiol. 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