Secular trends of hospitalization with vancomycin-resistant enterococcus infection in the United States, 2000-2006

Although the incidence of hospitalizations with infection due to vancomycin-resistant pathogens in the United States remained stable during 2000-2003, it increased from 4.60 to 9.48 hospitalizations per 100,000 population during 2003-2006. Hospitalizations with infection due to vancomycin-resistant pathogens also increased as a proportion of all US hospitalizations, from 3.16 to 6.51 hospitalizations with VRE infection per 10,000 total hospitalizations during 2003-2006. The number of hospitalizations with infection due to vancomycin-resistant pathogens is increasing in the United States. Because infection due to vancomycin-resistant organisms is associated with poor outcomes, the epidemiology of this trend needs further exploration.