title: Prevalence of vancomycin-resistant enterococci in hospitalized patients and those living in the community in the Czech Republic.
abstract: Between July 1, 2002 and December 31, 2003, rectal swabs from both hospitalized patients and community subjects in the Czech Republic were taken to ascertain the prevalence of vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE). The swabs were used for isolating and identifying enterococci and their susceptibility to antibiotics. Vancomycin resistance phenotypes were verified by PCR detection of vanA, vanB, vanC1 and vanC2 genes. A molecular biology analysis was performed in Enterococcus faecium VanA strains. During the observed period, 2691 rectal swabs from the hospitalized patients and 6529 rectal swabs from the subjects in community setting were examined. In total, 31 VRE of hospital origin and 13 community-population strains were isolated. The prevalence of VRE in the gastrointestinal tract was 1.9% in the hospitalized patients and 0.4% in the community subjects. The prevailing strains were Enterococcus faecium VanA (61.3%) in the VRE of hospital origin and Enterococcus gallinarum VanC (46.2%) in the community VRE. Mutual comparison between the hospital and community Enterococcus faecium VanA strains showed no similarity.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Microbiology, Faculty of Medicine, Palacky University, Olomouc, Czech Republic. kolar@fnol.cz
authors.forename: Milan
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kolar
authors.forename: Roman
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Pantucek
authors.forename: Iva
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Vagnerova
authors.forename: Pavel
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Sauer
authors.forename: Michaela
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kesselova
authors.forename: Luboslava
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Cekanova
authors.forename: Dagmar
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Koukalova
authors.forename: Jiri
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Doskar
authors.forename: Vladislava
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Ruzickova
mesh_terms: D003428:Cross Infection / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000382:microbiology*; D018153:Czech Republic / Q000453:epidemiology; D013293:Enterococcus faecalis / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000302:isolation & purification; D016984:Enterococcus faecium / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000302:isolation & purification; D016908:Gram-Positive Bacterial Infections / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000382:microbiology*; D006801:Humans; D008826:Microbial Sensitivity Tests; D015995:Prevalence; D012111:Residence Characteristics; D020713:Vancomycin Resistance