Characterizing vancomycin-resistant enterococci in neonatal intensive care.
Repetitive sequence-based polymerase chain reaction fingerprinting was used to characterize 23 vancomycin-nonsusceptible enterococcal isolates from 2003 to 2004. Five genetically related clusters spanned geographically distinct referring centers. DNA fingerprinting showed infant-to-infant transmission from referring institutions. Thus, community healthcare facilities are a source of vancomycin-nonsusceptible enterococci and should be targeted for increased infection control efforts.
Sherer
C Rebecca
CR
Walter Reed Army Medical Center, Washington, DC, USA.
Sprague
Bruce M
BM
Campos
Joseph M
JM
Nambiar
Sumathi
S
Temple
Rachel
R
Short
Billie
B
Singh
Nalini
N
D016983:Enterococcus / Q000187:drug effects / Q000235:genetics* / Q000302:isolation & purification; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007363:Intensive Care Units, Neonatal; D008826:Microbial Sensitivity Tests / Q000379:methods; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; D020713:Vancomycin Resistance / Q000235:genetics*