Skip directly to site content Skip directly to page options Skip directly to A-Z link Skip directly to A-Z link Skip directly to A-Z link
Volume 7, Number 2—April 2001
THEME ISSUE
4th Decennial International Conference on Nosocomial and Healthcare-Associated Infections
Introduction

Emergence of Vancomycin-Resistant Enterococci

Louis B. RiceComments to Author 
Author affiliation: VA Medical Center and Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, Cleveland, Ohio, USA

Main Article

Table 1

Pre-treatment with antibiotics and vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE) colonization after gastric administration of 102 CFU vancomycin and ampicillin-resistant Enterococcus faecium C68 (46)

Approximate log10 CFU VRE/g stool

Day 3
Day 6
Day 9
Day 13
Day 16
Saline 2 2.5 3 2.5 2.5
Piperacillin-tazobactam 2 2 2 2 2
Ticarcillin-clavulanic acid >9 >9 8.2 6.8 6.8
Ceftriaxone >9 8.8 8.4 7.2 6

Main Article

References
  1. Schaberg  DR, Culver  DH, Gaynes  RP. Major trends in the microbial etiology of nosocomial infection. Am J Med. 1991;91:72S5S. DOIPubMedGoogle Scholar
  2. Emori  TG, Gaynes  RP. An overview of nosocomial infections, including the role of the microbiology laboratory. Clin Microbiol Rev. 1993;6:42842.PubMedGoogle Scholar
  3. Murray  BE. The life and times of the enterococcus. Clin Microbiol Rev. 1990;3:4665.PubMedGoogle Scholar
  4. Moellering  RC Jr. Enterococcal infections in patients treated with moxalactam. Rev Infect Dis. 1982;4(Suppl):S70811. DOIPubMedGoogle Scholar
  5. Yu  V. Enterococcal superinfection and colonization after therapy with moxalactam, a new broad-spectrum antibiotic. Ann Intern Med. 1981;94:7845.PubMedGoogle Scholar
  6. Pallares  R, Pujol  M, Pena  C, Ariza  J, Martin  R, Gudiol  F. Cephalosporins as a risk factor for nosocomial Enterococcus faecalis bacteremia. Arch Intern Med. 1993;153:15816. DOIPubMedGoogle Scholar
  7. Fontana  R, Cerini  R, Longoni  P, Grossato  A, Canepari  P. Identification of a streptococcal penicillin-binding protein that reacts very slowly with penicillin. J Bacteriol. 1983;155:134350.PubMedGoogle Scholar
  8. Ligozzi  M, Aldegheri  M, Predari  SC, Fontana  R. Detection of penicillin-binding proteins immunologically related to penicillin-binding protein 5 of Enterococcus hirae ATCC 9790 in Enterococcus faecium and Enterococcus faecalis. FEMS Microbiol Lett. 1991;83:33540. DOIPubMedGoogle Scholar
  9. Murray  BE, Mederski-Samoraj  B. Transferable ß-lactamase: A new mechanism for in vitro penicillin resistance in Streptococcus faecalis. J Clin Invest. 1983;72:116871. DOIPubMedGoogle Scholar
  10. Rice  LB, Marshall  SH. Evidence of incorporation of the chromosomal-lactamase gene of Enterococcus faecalis CH19 into a transposon derived from staphylococci. Antimicrob Agents Chemother. 1992;36:18436.PubMedGoogle Scholar
  11. Coudron  PE, Markowitz  SM, Wong  ES. Isolation of a beta-lactamase-producing, aminoglycoside-resistant strain of Enterococcus faecium. Antimicrob Agents Chemother. 1992;36:11256.PubMedGoogle Scholar
  12. Ingerman  M, Pitzakis  PG, Rosenberg  A, Hessen  MT, Abrutyn  E, Murray  BE, ß-lactamase-production in experimental endocarditis due aminoglycoside-resistant Streptococcus faecalis. J Infect Dis. 1987;155:122632.PubMedGoogle Scholar
  13. Williamson  R, Calderwood  SB, Moellering  RC Jr, Tomasz  A. Studies on the mechanism of intrinsic resistance to ß-lactam antibiotic in Group D streptococci. J Gen Microbiol. 1983;129:81322.PubMedGoogle Scholar
  14. Eliopoulos  GM, Wennersten  C, Moellering  RC Jr. Resistance to ß-lactam antibiotics in Streptococcus faecium. Antimicrob Agents Chemother. 1982;22:295301.PubMedGoogle Scholar
  15. Carias  LL, Rudin  SD, Donskey  CJ, Rice  LB. Genetic linkage and co-transfer of a novel, vanB-encoding transposon (Tn5382) and a low-affinity penicillin-binding protein 5 gene in a clinical vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus faecium isolate. J Bacteriol. 1998;180:442634.PubMedGoogle Scholar
  16. Fontana  R, Grossato  A, Rossi  L, Cheng  YR, Satta  G. Transition from resistance to hypersusceptibility to ß-lactam antibiotics associated with loss of a low affinity penicillin-binding protein in a Streptococcus faecium mutant highly resistant to penicillin. Antimicrob Agents Chemother. 1985;28:67883.PubMedGoogle Scholar
  17. Ligozzi  M, Pittaluga  F, Fontana  R. Identification of a genetic element (psr) which negatively controls expression of Enterococcus hirae expression. J Bacteriol. 1993;175:204651.PubMedGoogle Scholar
  18. Massidda  O, Kariyama  R, Daneo-Moore  L, Shockman  GD. Evidence that the PBP 5 synthesis repressor (psr) of Enterococcus hirae is also involved in the regulation of cell wall composition and other cell wall-related properties. J Bacteriol. 1996;178:52728.PubMedGoogle Scholar
  19. Grayson  ML, Eliopoulos  GM, Wennersten  CB, Ruoff  KL, DeGirolami  PC, Ferraro  M-J, Increasing resistance to ß-lactam antibiotics among clinical isolates of Enterococcus faecium: a 22-year review at one institution. Antimicrob Agents Chemother. 1991;35:21804.PubMedGoogle Scholar
  20. Zorzi  W, Zhou  XY, Dardenne  O, Lamotte  J, Raze  D, Pierre  J, Structure of the low-affinity penicillin-binding protein 5 PBP5 in wild-type and highly penicillin-resistant strains of Enterococcus faecium. J Bacteriol. 1996;178:494857.PubMedGoogle Scholar
  21. Rybkine  T, Mainardi  J-L, Sougakoff  W, Collatz  E, Gutmann  L. Penicillin-binding protein 5 sequence alterations in clinical isolates of Enterococcus faecium with different levels of ß-lactam resistance. J Infect Dis. 1998;178:15963.PubMedGoogle Scholar
  22. Chirurgi  VA, Oster  SE, Goldberg  AA, McCabe  RE. Nosocomial acquisition of ß-lactamase-negative, ampicillin-resistant enterococcus. Arch Intern Med. 1992;152:145761. DOIPubMedGoogle Scholar
  23. Bartlett  JG, Chang  TW, Gurwith  M, Gorbach  SL, Onderdonk  AB. Antibiotic-associated pseudomembranous colitis due to toxin-producing clostridia. N Engl J Med. 1978;298:5314. DOIPubMedGoogle Scholar
  24. Arthur  M, Reynolds  P, Courvalin  P. Glycopeptide resistance in enterococci. Trends Microbiol. 1996;4:4017. DOIPubMedGoogle Scholar
  25. Evers  S, Sahm  DF, Courvalin  P. The vanB gene of vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus faecalis V583 is structurally related to genes encoding D-ala: D-ala ligases and glycopeptide-resistance proteins VanA and VanC. Gene. 1993;124:1434. DOIPubMedGoogle Scholar
  26. Donskey  CJ, Schreiber  JR, Jacobs  MR, Shekar  R, Smith  F, Gordon  S, A polyclonal outbreak of predominantly VanB vancomycin-resistant enterococci in Northeast Ohio. Clin Infect Dis. 1999;29:5739. DOIPubMedGoogle Scholar
  27. Hanrahan  J, Hoyen  C, Rice  LB. Geographic distribution of a large mobile element that transfers ampicillin and vancomycin resistance between Enterococcus faecium strains. Antimicrob Agents Chemother. 2000;44:134951. DOIPubMedGoogle Scholar
  28. Quale  J, Landman  D, Atwood  E, Kreiswirth  B, Willey  BM, Ditore  V, Experience with a hospital-wide outbreak of vancomycin-resistant enterococci. Am J Infect Control. 1996;24:3729. DOIPubMedGoogle Scholar
  29. Linden  PK, Pasculle  AW, Manez  R, Kramer  DJ, Fung  JJ, Pinna  AD, Differences in outcomes for patients with bacteremia due to vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus faecium or vancomycin-susceptible E. faecium. Clin Infect Dis. 1996;22:66370. DOIPubMedGoogle Scholar
  30. Roghmann  M-C, Qaiyumi  S, Johnson  JA, Schwalbe  R, Morris  JG Jr. Recurrent vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus faecium bacteremia in a leukemia patient who was persistently colonized with vancomycin-resistant enterococci for two years. Clin Infect Dis. 1997;24:5145. DOIPubMedGoogle Scholar
  31. Edmond  MB, Ober  JF, Weinbaum  DL, Pfaller  MA, Hwang  T, Sanford  MD, Vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus faecium bacteremia: risk factors for infection. Clin Infect Dis. 1995;20:112633. DOIPubMedGoogle Scholar
  32. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Preventing the spread of vancomycin resistance - report from the Hospital Infection Control Practices Advisory Committee. Fed Regist. 1994;59:2575863.PubMedGoogle Scholar
  33. Boyce  JM, Opal  SM, Chow  JW, Zervos  MJ, Potter-Bynoe  G, Sherman  CB, Outbreak of multidrug-resistant Enterococcus faecium with transferable vanB class vancomycin resistance. J Clin Microbiol. 1994;32:114853.PubMedGoogle Scholar
  34. Boyce  JM, Mermel  LA, Zervos  MJ, Rice  LB, Potter-Bynoe  G, Giogio  C, Controlling vancomycin-resistant enterococci. Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol. 1995;16:6347. DOIPubMedGoogle Scholar
  35. Boyce  JM. Vancomycin-resistant enterococcus: detection, epidemiology and control measures. Infect Dis Clin North Am. 1997;11:36783. DOIPubMedGoogle Scholar
  36. Morris  JG, Shay  DK, Hebden  JN, McCarter  RJ Jr, Perdue  BE, Jarvis  W, Enterococci resistant to multiple antimicrobial agents, including vancomycin: establishment of endemicity in a university medical center. Ann Intern Med. 1995;123:2509.PubMedGoogle Scholar
  37. Slaughter  S, Hayden  MK, Nathan  C, Hu  T-C, Rice  T, Van Voorhis  J, A comparison of the effect of universal use of gloves and gowns with that of glove use alone on acquisition of vancomycin-resistant enterococci in a medical intensive care unit. Ann Intern Med. 1996;125:44856.PubMedGoogle Scholar
  38. Moreno  F, Grota  P, Crisp  C, Magnon  K, Melcher  GP, Jorgensen  JH, Clinical and molecular epidemiology of vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus faecium during its emergence in a city in southern Texas. Clin Infect Dis. 1995;21:12347. DOIPubMedGoogle Scholar
  39. Quale  J, Landman  D, Saurina  G, Atwood  E, DiTore  V, Patel  K. Manipulation of a hospital antimicrobial formulary to control an outbreak of vancomycin-resistant enterococci. Clin Infect Dis. 1996;23:10205. DOIPubMedGoogle Scholar
  40. Shlaes  DM, Etter  L, Gutmann  L. Synergistic killing of vancomycin-resistant enterococci of classes A, B and C by combinations of vancomycin, penicillin and gentamicin. Antimicrob Agents Chemother. 1991;35:7769.PubMedGoogle Scholar
  41. Fraimow  HS, Venuti  E. Inconsistent bactericidal activity of triple-combination therapy with vancomycin, ampicillin and gentamicin against vancomycin-resistant, highly ampicillin resistant Enterococcus faecium. Antimicrob Agents Chemother. 1992;36:15636.PubMedGoogle Scholar
  42. Hayton  WL, Schandlik  R, Stoeckel  K. Biliary excretion and pharmacokinetics of ceftriaxone after cholecystectomy. Eur J Clin Pharmacol. 1986;30:44551. DOIPubMedGoogle Scholar
  43. Brogard  JM, Jehl  F, Paris-Bockel  D, Blickle  JF, Adloff  M, Monteil  H. Biliary elimination of ceftazidime. J Antimicrob Chemother. 1987;19:6718. DOIPubMedGoogle Scholar
  44. Kees  F, Strehl  E, Dominiak  P, Grobecker  H, Seeger  K, Seidel  G, Cefotaxime and desacetyl cefotaxime in human bile. Infection. 1983;11:11820. DOIPubMedGoogle Scholar
  45. Taylor  EW, Poxon  V, Alexander-Williams  J, Jackson  D. Biliary excretion of piperacillin. J Int Med Res. 1983;11:2831.PubMedGoogle Scholar
  46. Donskey  CJ, Hanrahan  JA, Hutton  RA, Rice  LB. Effect of parenteral antibiotic administration on establishment of colonization with vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus faecium in the mouse gastrointestinal tract. J Infect Dis. 2000;181:18303. DOIPubMedGoogle Scholar
  47. Donskey  CJ, Hanrahan  JA, Hutton  RA, Rice  LB. Effect of parenteral antibiotic administration on persistence of vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus faecium in the mouse gastrointestinal tract. J Infect Dis. 1999;180:38490. DOIPubMedGoogle Scholar

Main Article

Page created: April 17, 2012
Page updated: April 17, 2012
Page reviewed: April 17, 2012
The conclusions, findings, and opinions expressed by authors contributing to this journal do not necessarily reflect the official position of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the Public Health Service, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, or the authors' affiliated institutions. Use of trade names is for identification only and does not imply endorsement by any of the groups named above.
file_external