Increasing vancomycin resistance in Enterococcus spp. in Australia: facing the challenge in the laboratory

• Published in: Pathology Vol. 29; no. 3; pp. 303 - 304
• Main Authors: Anderson, Mark, Davey, Richard, Bell, Jan
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London Elsevier B.V 01.08.1997; Informa UK Ltd; Taylor and Francis
• Subjects: Antibacterial agents; Antibiotics. Antiinfectious agents. Antiparasitic agents; Australia; Biological and medical sciences; Clinical Laboratory Techniques; Drug Resistance, Microbial; Enterococcus; Enterococcus - drug effects; Feces - microbiology; Humans; isolation; Mass Screening - methods; Medical sciences; microbial drug resistance; Microbial Sensitivity Tests; Pharmacology. Drug treatments; Reproducibility of Results; Time Factors; Tropical medicine; vancomycin; Vancomycin - pharmacology; Australia; Oceania; Enterococcus; EAVA; VRE; EBVA; vancomycin; microbial drug resistance; isolation; Human; Vancomycin; Medical screening; Bacteriological investigation; Infection; Streptococcaceae; Antibiotic; Microorganism resistance; Microbiological investigation; Glycopeptide; Polypeptide; Bacteriosis; Bacteria; Micrococcales; Antibacterial agent
• ISSN: 0031-3025; 1465-3931
• DOI: 10.1080/00313029700169145

High level vancomycin resistance in enterococci (VRE) is increasing in Australia. If the spread of VRE is to be checked, then it is vital for laboratories to be able to detect it promptly and accurately. We have established a rapid and accurate screening method using Enterococcosel agar supplemented with 6 mg/l vancomycin. It can recover VRE from spiked feces, it may be used to screen feces for carriage of VRE and it is not subject to the confounding effects which feces introduce to broth enrichment culture.