Prevalence of vancomycin-resistant enterococci in hospitalized patients and those living in the community in the Czech Republic
| Authors | |
|---|---|
| Year of publication | 2005 |
| Type | Article in Proceedings |
| Conference | 45th annual ICAAC (Interscience Conference on Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy) |
| MU Faculty or unit | |
| Citation | |
| Web | http://www.icaac.org/45ICAAC/default.asp |
| Field | Microbiology, virology |
| Keywords | Enterococci; vancomycin resistance; Molecular epidemiology; VRE; gram-positive infections |
| Description | Background: The presented study aimed at determining the prevalence of vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE) in rectal swabs taken from both hospitalized patients and subjects from the community population in the Czech Republic. Methods: Between July 1, 2002 and July 1, 2003, rectal swabs were taken from hospitalized patients as well as individuals from the community to be utilized for isolating and identifying enterococci and their susceptibility to antibiotics. Vancomycin resistance phenotypes were verified by PCR detection of vanA, vanB, vanC1 and vanC2 genes. A molecular biology analysis was performed in Enterococcus faecium VanA strains. To determine the relationship of strains, macrorestriction analysis of the total chromosomal DNA digested with SmaI restriction endonuclease was used. Results: During the observed period, 2,157 rectal swabs from the hospitalized patients and 4,874 rectal swabs from the subjects in community setting were examined. In total, 27 VRE of hospital origin and 13 community-population strains were isolated. The prevalence of VRE in the gastrointestinal tract was 2.3% in the hospitalized patients and 0.6% in the community subjects. The prevailing strains were Enterococcus faecium VanA (70.4%) in the VRE of hospital origin and Enterococcus gallinarum VanC (46.2%) in the community VRE. Mutual comparison between the hospital and community Enterococcus faecium VanA strains showed no similarity. Conclusions: In the Czech Republic, VRE were proved both in community and hospital settings. Their prevalence in rectal swabs is low and does not exceed the values reported in other European countries. |
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