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Updated: Aug 9, 2026

A 1.5 Hour Procedure for Identification of Enterococcus Species Directly from Blood Cultures
05:02

A 1.5 Hour Procedure for Identification of Enterococcus Species Directly from Blood Cultures

Published on: February 10, 2011

Multidrug-resistant Enterococcus faecium. An untreatable nosocomial pathogen

R V Spera1, B F Farber

  • 1Division of Infectious Diseases, Brooklyn Hospital Center, New York.

Drugs
|November 1, 1994
PubMed

Insights

Vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE) are increasingly prevalent nosocomial pathogens. Due to limited treatment options and high mortality, rigorous infection control is crucial to prevent VRE spread.

Area of Science:

  • Infectious Diseases
  • Microbiology
  • Hospital Epidemiology

Background:

  • Rising prevalence of enterococci and nosocomial pathogens over 15 years.
  • Increasing resistance to traditional antimicrobial agents, including vancomycin.
  • Vancomycin resistance in enterococci (VRE) first identified in 1988 and now global.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To highlight the challenges posed by vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE).
  • To discuss the implications of VRE resistance to multiple antibiotics.
  • To emphasize the importance of infection control measures for VRE.

Main Methods:

  • Review of clinical literature on enterococcal prevalence and resistance.
  • Analysis of risk factors associated with vancomycin-resistant enterococcal infections.
  • Assessment of treatment difficulties and mortality rates for VRE infections.

Main Results:

  • VRE exhibits high-level resistance to penicillins and aminoglycosides.
  • Treatment of VRE infections is extremely difficult, with reported mortality rates exceeding 50% for bacteremia.
  • Key risk factors include prolonged hospitalization, neutropenia, and prior vancomycin or broad-spectrum antibiotic use.

Conclusions:

  • There is a lack of uniformly effective antimicrobial therapies for VRE infections.
  • Preventing the spread of VRE through stringent barrier precautions and infection control techniques is paramount.
  • Focus on infection prevention due to therapeutic limitations.

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