Outbreak of vancomycin-resistant enterococci in a tertiary hospital: the lack of effect of measures directed mainly by surveillance cultures and differences in response between Enterococcus faecium and Enterococcus faecalis

Graziella H Pereira; Patrícia R Müller; Rosemeire C Zanella; Marisa de Jesus Castro Lima; Dionisio Setaro Torchio; Anna S Levin

doi:10.1016/j.ajic.2009.08.010

Outbreak of vancomycin-resistant enterococci in a tertiary hospital: the lack of effect of measures directed mainly by surveillance cultures and differences in response between Enterococcus faecium and Enterococcus faecalis

Am J Infect Control. 2010 Jun;38(5):406-9. doi: 10.1016/j.ajic.2009.08.010. Epub 2009 Dec 16.

Authors

Graziella H Pereira¹, Patrícia R Müller, Rosemeire C Zanella, Marisa de Jesus Castro Lima, Dionisio Setaro Torchio, Anna S Levin

Affiliation

¹ Infection Control Department of Hospital Brigadeiro of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil.

PMID: 20006408
DOI: 10.1016/j.ajic.2009.08.010

Abstract

To describe the effect of active surveillance to control vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE) after an outbreak, 549 surveillance rectal cultures were performed in 308 patients (35% positive). An educational intervention to prevent transmission was implemented. Infection and colonization by VR- Enterococcus faecalis decreased, but Enterococcus faecium persisted despite control measures. Infections by VR-E faecalis fell to zero in 2008. We observed difficulties in controlling colonization with measures directed mainly by surveillance cultures and differences between responses of E faecium and E faecalis.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Anti-Bacterial Agents / pharmacology
Disease Outbreaks / prevention & control*
Disinfection
Enterococcus faecalis / drug effects*
Enterococcus faecalis / isolation & purification
Enterococcus faecium / drug effects*
Enterococcus faecium / isolation & purification
Environmental Monitoring
Epidemiological Monitoring
Feces / microbiology
Gram-Positive Bacterial Infections / epidemiology
Gram-Positive Bacterial Infections / prevention & control*
Gram-Positive Bacterial Infections / transmission
Hand Disinfection
Hospitals, Public
Humans
Infection Control / methods*
Microbial Sensitivity Tests
Patient Isolation
Population Surveillance
Tertiary Prevention
Vancomycin / pharmacology
Vancomycin Resistance*

Substances

Anti-Bacterial Agents
Vancomycin