Genomic insights into the global dissemination of linezolid resistance genes in Enterococcus faecium

作者：Xiaoxiao Yuan, Chao Ma, Xiaoli Cao, Zhiwei Ma, Liuli Wu, Peitao Jiang, Zhengnan Yang · 发表于：Frontiers in Microbiology · 年份：2026 · DOI：10.3389/fmicb.2026.1783172 · 被引用次数：1 · 研究领域：Antimicrobial Resistance in Staphylococcus、Bacterial biofilms and quorum sensing、Milk Quality and Mastitis in Dairy Cows

Background Transferable linezolid resistance determinants in Enterococcus faecium , particularly optrA, poxtA , and cfr , have raised increasing global concern due to their potential dissemination across clinical, animal, food, and environmental reservoirs. However, their population distribution, genomic contexts, and associated virulence backgrounds remain incompletely understood. Methods We performed a large-scale genomic analysis of 2,235 publicly available E. faecium genomes to investigate the distribution, sequence types (STs), virulence factors (VFs), and genomic contexts of transferable linezolid resistance genes. Phylogenetic analysis and comparative examination of gene flanking regions were conducted to explore the mechanisms underlying resistance gene dissemination. Results A total of 243 genomes (10.9%) carried at least one linezolid resistance gene. poxtA (8.1%) and optrA (6.9%) were more frequently detected than cfr (2.2%). Multiple resistance determinants were simultaneously observed within individual isolates, with optrA + poxtA representing the most frequent gene combination. These resistance genes were distributed across 90 distinct STs, indicating substantial population diversity. Comparative phylogenetic and genomic context analyses revealed significant genetic diversity and a lack of strict phylogenetic clustering, suggesting that horizontal gene transfer mediated by mobile genetic elements plays a major role in the dissemination of these determinants. VF ...