title: Vancomycin resistance has no influence on outcomes of enterococcal bacteriuria.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Infections with vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE) are a growing concern in hospitals. The impact of vancomycin resistance in enterococcal urinary tract infection is not well-defined.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To describe the epidemiology of enterococcal bacteriuria in a hospital and compare the clinical picture and patient outcomes depending on vancomycin resistance.
  
  
  METHODS
  This was a 6-month prospective cohort study of hospital patients who were admitted with or who developed enterococcal bacteriuria in a 1250-bed tertiary care hospital. We examined clinical presentation, diagnostic work-up, management, and outcomes.
  
  
  RESULTS
  We included 254 patients with enterococcal bacteriuria; 160 (63%) were female and median age was 65 years (range: 17-96). A total of 116 (46%) bacteriurias were hospital-acquired and 145 (57%) catheter-associated. Most patients presented with asymptomatic bacteriuria (ASB) (119; 47%) or pyelonephritis (64; 25%); 51 (20%) had unclassifiable bacteriuria and 20 (8%) had cystitis. Secondary bloodstream infection was detected in 8 (3%) patients. Seventy of 119 (59%) with ASB received antibiotics (mostly vancomycin). There were 74 (29%) VRE bacteriurias. VRE and vancomycin-susceptible enterococci (VSE) produced similar rates of pyelonephritis [19 (25%) vs 45 (25%); P = 0.2], cystitis, and ASB. Outcomes such as ICU transfer [10 (14%) VRE vs 17 (9%) VSE; P = 0.3], hospital length of stay (6.8 vs 5.0 days; P = 0.08), and mortality [10 (14%) vs 13 (7%); P = 0.1] did not vary with vancomycin susceptibility.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Vancomycin resistance did not affect the clinical presentation nor did it impact patient outcomes in this cohort of inpatients with enterococcal bacteriuria. Almost half of our cohort had enterococcal ASB; more than 50% of these asymptomatic patients received unnecessary antibiotics. Antimicrobial stewardship efforts should address overtreatment of enterococcal bacteriurias.
authors.affiliation: Division of Infectious Diseases, Washington University School of Medicine, St Louis, MO, USA.
authors.forename: H N
authors.initials: HN
authors.lastname: Khair
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: VanTassell
authors.forename: J P
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Henderson
authors.forename: D K
authors.initials: DK
authors.lastname: Warren
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Marschall
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001437:Bacteriuria / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000382:microbiology / Q000473:pathology; D015331:Cohort Studies; D017714:Community-Acquired Infections / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000382:microbiology / Q000473:pathology; D003428:Cross Infection / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000382:microbiology / Q000473:pathology; D016983:Enterococcus / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000302:isolation & purification; D005260:Female; D016908:Gram-Positive Bacterial Infections / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000382:microbiology / Q000473:pathology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011446:Prospective Studies; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D020713:Vancomycin Resistance; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Asymptomatic disease; Enterococcus; Outcomes research; Urinary tract infection; Vancomycin