Vancomycin-Resistant Enterococci: Harbinger or Cause of Poor Outcomes?

Vancomycin resistance among Enterococcus faecium strains is a growing clinical challenge. Why do certain hospitalized patients develop such E. faecium infections, and do they have . . .

Vancomycin resistance among Enterococcus faecium strains is a growing clinical challenge. Why do certain hospitalized patients develop such E. faecium infections, and do they have poorer outcomes? This examination of the largest series of vancomycin-resistant enterococcal (VRE) bacteremia cases ever reported from one institution sheds additional light on these questions.

Researchers compared 93 patients with VRE bacteremia with 101 with vancomycin-sensitive enterococcal (VSE) bacteremia; subjects were identified retrospectively from a five-year period. Ninety-two of 93 VRE isolates were E. faecium; 27 of 101 VSE isolates were E. faecium and 77 were E. faecalis. Exposure to metronidazole, chloramphenicol, or teracycline was more common in VRE…

Reviewing Author

B Britigan