BACKGROUND Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) remains sensitive to vancomycin; when vancomycin-resistant S. aureus (VRSA) emerges, treatment becomes more complex. VRSA emergence is attributed to conjugative transfer of the vancomycin-resistance gene cluster from vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE) to MRSA. Because cocolonization with MRSA and VRE precedes VRSA development, th...

Two daptomycin (DAP) regimens were evaluated in a pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic (PK/PD) model, and the mutants recovered were examined for changes in phenotypic characteristics. Three Enterococcus faecium strains (vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus [VRE] ATCC 51559, VRE 12311, and VRE SF 12047) were utilized in a 7-day, 1-compartment in vitro PK/PD model. The simulated dosing regimens were DAP...

OBJECTIVE The spread of nosocomial multiresistant microorganisms is affected by compliance with infection control measures and antibiotic use. We hypothesized that "colonization pressure" (ie, the proportion of other patients colonized) also is an important variable. We studied the effect of colonization pressure, compliance with infection control measures, antibiotic use, and other previously ...

Frequencies of vanB-type Enterococcus faecium increased in Europe during the last years. VanB enterococci show various levels of vancomycin MICs even below the susceptible breakpoint challenging a reliable diagnostics. The performance of 3 chromogenic vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE) screening agars, 2 Etest® vancomycin protocols, and different microdilution methods to detect 129 clinical...

Infection control practices are not uniformly successful in limiting outbreaks of vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE). Despite the implementation of barrier precautions for VRE-infected patients, nearly one-half of the inpatients at our center were found to have gastrointestinal colonization by VRE. In an attempt to control the outbreak, we altered the antibiotic formulary by restricting the...

BACKGROUND Vancomycin resistant enterococci (VRE) in Swedish broiler production has been shown to persist at farms between batches. The aim of this study was therefore to determine the possibility to eliminate VRE by disinfection of compartments in broiler houses as a proof of concept. FINDINGS VRE could not be detected in environmental samples from the disinfected test compartments in the br...

We report three patients infected with unique strains of vancomycin-dependent enterococci. Two were first infected by genetically identical strains of vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE). All three patients had much greater exposure to vancomycin and third-generation cephalosporins than did two control groups (patients infected with VRE and hospitalized patients without enterococcal infectio...

Vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus spp. (VRE) were isolated from sewage and chicken feces but not from other animal fecal sources (dog, cow, and pig) or from surface waters tested. VRE from hospital wastewater were resistant to > or =20 microg of vancomycin/ml and possessed the vanA gene. VRE from residential wastewater and chicken feces were resistant to 3 to 5 microg of vancomycin/ml and posse...

Background: Vancomycin (glycopeptide)-resistant enterococci (VRE or GRE) can cause serious problems for hospitalized patients due to the limited options for treatment of VRE infections. As infection with VRE increases in hospitals, further knowledge about vancomycin resistant genes is needed. Methods: Isolates of Enterococcus spp. were collected from hospitalized patients in Tehran (Iran) durin...

BACKGROUND Infections caused by antimicrobial-resistant bacteria are associated with increased mortality and health care costs. Enterococci have been recognized as a clinically important pathogen in hospitalized patients. Vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE) infections cause significant morbidity and mortality among patients undergoing transplantation. OBJECTIVE To identify epidemiology of ...