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Outbreak of vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus faecium clone ST796, Switzerland, December 2017 to April 2018

Nasstasja Wassilew1, Helena Mb Seth-Smith2,3, Eveline Rolli1

  • 1Department of Infectious Diseases, University Hospital Bern, Bern, Switzerland.

Euro Surveillance : Bulletin Europeen Sur Les Maladies Transmissibles = European Communicable Disease Bulletin
|July 26, 2018
PubMed

Insights

A significant outbreak of vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE) in Switzerland was caused by a rapidly spreading clone (ST796). This VRE strain, previously found in Australia and New Zealand, can cause bloodstream infections and necessitates robust infection control measures.

Area of Science:

  • Infectious Diseases
  • Microbiology
  • Genomics

Background:

  • A large outbreak of vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE) has been ongoing in four hospitals in Bern, Switzerland, since December 2017.
  • VRE infections pose a significant threat due to limited treatment options and potential for rapid spread within healthcare settings.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To characterize the VRE clone responsible for the outbreak in Bern.
  • To understand the genetic relatedness and epidemiological features of the VRE isolates.

Main Methods:

  • Whole genome sequencing (WGS) was employed to analyze 77 VRE isolates from 89 identified carriers.
  • Multilocus sequence typing (MLST) was used to identify the specific VRE sequence type.

Main Results:

  • A highly homogeneous VRE population was identified, with 77 out of 89 isolates being virtually indistinguishable by WGS.
  • The predominant clone was identified as multilocus sequence type (MLST) ST796, a strain previously reported only in Australia and New Zealand.
  • This ST796 clone demonstrated characteristics of rapid spread and a propensity to cause bloodstream infections.

Conclusions:

  • The VRE outbreak in Bern is driven by a specific, highly transmissible clone (ST796).
  • The emergence of this clone in Switzerland highlights the global mobility of VRE strains.
  • A comprehensive infection prevention strategy is crucial to control the spread of this VRE clone in healthcare facilities.
Keywords:
ST796VREemergent cloneenterococcusoutbreakvancomycin-resistant enterococciwhole genome sequencing

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