Comparison of PCR and culture for screening of vancomycin-resistant Enterococci: highly disparate results for vanA and vanB.
We compared PCR to conventional culture for the detection of vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE) in 30,835 rectal samples over a 3-year period. The positive and negative predictive values of vanB PCR were 1.42% and 99.9%, respectively. A positive vanB result by PCR is poorly predictive and necessitates culture for differentiation of VRE-positive and -negative individuals.
Department of Microbiology, McGill University Health Centre, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
Anton
A
Mak
Mark A
MA
Miller
George
G
Chong
Yury
Y
Monczak
D001426:Bacterial Proteins / Q000235:genetics*; D001431:Bacteriological Techniques; D019729:Carbon-Oxygen Ligases / Q000235:genetics*; D003470:Culture Media; D004269:DNA, Bacterial / Q000032:analysis / Q000302:isolation & purification; D016983:Enterococcus / Q000145:classification / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification; D006801:Humans; D008403:Mass Screening / Q000379:methods*; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction / Q000379:methods*; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D020713:Vancomycin Resistance / Q000235:genetics
D001426:Bacterial Proteins; D003470:Culture Media; D004269:DNA, Bacterial; C071437:VanA ligase, Bacteria; C079913:VanB protein, Enterococcus; D019729:Carbon-Oxygen Ligases