[Incidence of vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus at a university hospital in Brazil].
OBJECTIVE
Vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus (VRE) is today one of the principal microorganisms implicated in nosocomial infections. Thus, a study was carried out with the objective of evaluating its epidemiology at a tertiary-level teaching hospital.


METHODS
This was a three-year retrospective epidemiological study conducted from 2000 to 2002. Samples of VRE-positive clinical cultures at a 660-bed university hospital were analyzed. The incidence of VRE and the main anatomical sites and hospital units from which it was isolated were defined. Differences between the variables over the three years of the study were verified, and these were considered significant when p<0.05.


RESULTS
There was a progressive increase in the vancomycin resistance in the clinical cultures that were positive for Enterococcus spp., over the three years of the study. In 2000, 9.5% of the samples were vancomycin-resistant, and this increased to 14.7% in 2001 and 15.8% in 2002. The hospital units with the largest numbers of isolates were, respectively, the emergency ward (19.5%) and the general intensive care unit (15%). The anatomical sites with the highest amounts of isolates included: urine (36%) and blood (20%).


CONCLUSIONS
With the progressive increase in the incidence of vancomycin resistance and the VRE rate, it is concluded that more effective control measures are needed for deterring the dissemination of VRE.
Furtado
Guilherme Henrique Campos
GH
Disciplina de Doenças Infecciosas e Parasitárias, Escola Paulista de Medicina, Universidade Federal de São Paulo, R. Napoleao de Barros, 1075/1-2, 04024-003 São Paulo, SP, Brazil. ghfurtado@uol.com.br
Martins
Sinaida Teixeira
ST
Coutinho
Ana Paula
AP
Soares
Gláucia Marília Moreira
GM
Wey
Sérgio Barsanti
SB
Medeiros
Eduardo Alexandrino Servolo
EA
D001938:Brazil / Q000453:epidemiology; D003428:Cross Infection / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000382:microbiology*; D016983:Enterococcus / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000302:isolation & purification; D006746:Hospital Bed Capacity, 500 and over; D006785:Hospitals, University / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D020713:Vancomycin Resistance