Epidemiology of vancomycin-resistant enterococci in Canadian hospitals (CANWARD study, 2007 to 2013)

Of 1,927 Enterococcus species isolates collected across Canada from 2007 to 2013, 80 (4.2%) were identified as vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE). VRE infections during this time tripled in Canadian hospitals, from 1.8% to 6.0% (P = 0.03). All VRE were Enterococcus faecium, with 90% possessing vanA. The prevalence of vanB decreased from 37.5% in 2007 to 0% in 2013 (P < 0.05). The VRE were multidrug resistant, but 70.6%, 86.3%, and 100% were susceptible to doxycycline, linezolid, and daptomycin, respectively.