VRE harboring pHTbeta plasmid

Vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE) are among the antimicrobial resistant (AMR) bacterial pathogens of greatest concern. In E. faecium, AMR genes are acquired through horizontal gene transfer (HGT) mediated by conjugative plasmids. Among of enterococcal plasmids, pMG1-like plasmids often carry AMR genes and have a very efficient conjugative transfer capacity. pHTbeta is a pMG1-like plasmid with a vanA-type vancomycin resistance operon and has been used as a model for experimental studies of pMG1-like plasmid biology. In this study, the complete genome of two clinical isolates of VRE strains, MEM18094 and OEK20567, from which the pHTbeta plasmid was originally derived, was determined.