Development and validation of ClonalTracker, a tool that assesses for a pair of vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus faecium (VRE) genomes whether they are related through clonal spread or through horizontal transfer, by comparing the van operon, its carrying transposon, and whole-genome similarity. The method was validated on two previously analyzed public VRE datasets and applied to a third dataset of 323 vanB VRE isolates, in which clonal expansion was found to be the dominant dissemination mode. The tool is available at clonaltracker.nl.
ClonalTracker development and validation study
Study: ClonalTracker development and validation study
VRE-crossword, horizontal or vertical? Transmission of vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus faecium in Dutch hospitals