Contamination of Gowns, Gloves, and Stethoscopes With Vancomycin-Resistant Enterococci

2001 ◽  
Vol 22 (9) ◽  
pp. 560-564 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kimon C. Zachary ◽  
Pamela S. Bayne ◽  
Victoria J. Morrison ◽  
Dale S. Ford ◽  
Leah Christine Silver ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Rectal Swab ◽  
Tertiary Care Hospital ◽  
Tertiary Care ◽  
High Rate ◽  
Care Hospital ◽  
Routine Examination ◽  
Clinical Specimens ◽  
Vancomycin Resistant Enterococci ◽  
Vancomycin Resistant ◽  
Similar Risk

AbstractObjective:To measure directly the rate of contamination, during routine patient examination, of gowns, gloves, and stethoscopes with vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE).Setting:A large, academic, tertiary-care hospital.Patients:Between January 1997 and December 1998, 49 patients colonized or infected with VRE were entered in the study.Design:After routine examination, the examiner's glove fingertips, gown (the umbilical region and the cuffs), and stethoscope diaphragm were pressed onto Columbia colistin-nalidixic acid (CNA) agar plates with 5% sheep blood plus vancomycin 6 ug/mL. The stethoscope diaphragm was sampled again after cleaning with a 70% isopropanol wipe.Results:VRE were isolated from at least 1 examiner site (gloves, gowns, or stethoscope) in 33 (67%) of 49 cases. Gloves were contaminated in 63%, gowns in 37%, and stethoscopes in 31%. All three items were positive for VRE in 24%. One case each had stethoscope and gown contamination without glove contamination. Only 1 (2%) of 49 stethoscopes was positive after wiping with an alcohol swab. Contamination at any site was more likely when the patient had a colostomy or ileostomy. Patients identified by rectal-swab culture alone were as likely to contaminate their examiners as were those identified by clinical specimens.Conclusions:Our study revealed a high rate of examiner contamination with VRE. The similar risk of contamination identified by surveillance and clinical cases reinforces concerns that patients not known to be colonized with VRE could serve as sources for dissemination. Wiping with alcohol is effective in decontaminating stethoscopes.

Prevalence of Vancomycin Resistant Enterococci in Various Clinical Specimens in Tertiary Care Hospital in North Delhi

2012 ◽  
Vol 3 (3) ◽  
pp. 141-144
Author(s):  
Swati Chaudhary ◽  
◽  
Swastika Aggarwal ◽  
Pawan Kumar ◽  
SK Aggarwal SK Aggarwal ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Tertiary Care Hospital ◽  
Tertiary Care ◽  
Care Hospital ◽  
Clinical Specimens ◽  
Vancomycin Resistant Enterococci ◽  
Vancomycin Resistant

scholarly journals Assessing the intestinal carriage rates of vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE) at a tertiary care hospital in Hungary

2019 ◽  
Vol 65 (3) ◽  
pp. 483-490
Author(s):  
Dorottya Franyó ◽  
Balázs Kocsi ◽  
Evelin Erzsébet Bukta ◽  
Judit Szabó ◽  
Zsuzsanna Dombrádi
Keyword(s):  
Risk Factors ◽  
Tertiary Care Hospital ◽  
Tertiary Care ◽  
Resistant Bacteria ◽  
Care Hospital ◽  
Multiresistant Pathogens ◽  
Carriage Rate ◽  
Vancomycin Resistant Enterococci ◽  
Vancomycin Resistant ◽  
Broth Enrichment

Abstract Excessive use of antibiotics contributes to the selection of resistant bacteria and intestinal colonization with multiresistant pathogens poses a risk factor for subsequent infections. The present study assessed vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE) carriage rates in patients admitted to our tertiary care hospital. Stool samples sent for routine culturing were screened with vancomycin containing solid or broth enrichment media. VRE isolates were identified with matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization-time of flight mass spectrometry and antibiotic susceptibilities were tested by E-test. Vancomycin resistance genes were detected by polymerase chain reaction. Medical records of carriers were examined for suspected risk factors for colonization. Altogether 3025 stool specimens were analyzed. Solid media identified a VRE carriage rate of 2.2% while broth enrichment detected 5.8%. Seventy percent of the isolates were Enterococcus faecium. VanB genotype was detected in 38.2%, VanA in 37.3%, VanC1 in 22.6%, and VanC2 in 1.9%. All VRE were sensitive to linezolid, daptomycin, and tigecycline. Collective risk factors for carriage were diabetes, normal flora absence, Clostridioides difficile positivity, longer hospital stay, and advanced age. 78.5% of the carriers received antibiotic therapy which was metronidazole in most cases (47.3%). We recommend regular screening of risk groups such as patients with diabetes, history of recent hospitalization, or former C. difficile infection as an imperative step for preventing VRE dissemination.

scholarly journals Molecular epidemiology of vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus faecium clinical isolates in a tertiary care hospital in southern Thailand: a retrospective study

PeerJ ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
pp. e11478
Author(s):  
Phanvasri Saengsuwan ◽  
Kamonnut Singkhamanan ◽  
Siribhorn Madla ◽  
Natnicha Ingviya ◽  
Chonticha Romyasamit
Keyword(s):  
Tertiary Care Hospital ◽  
Tertiary Care ◽  
Molecular Techniques ◽  
Diffusion Method ◽  
Care Hospital ◽  
Drug Resistant ◽  
Vancomycin Resistant Enterococci ◽  
Peritoneal Dialysis Fluid ◽  
Southern Thailand ◽  
Vancomycin Resistant

Objective Vancomycin-resistant enterococci are nosocomial pathogens that are responsible for commonly causing healthcare-associated infections, and they exhibit increased resistance to many antimicrobials, particularly to vancomycin. The epidemiological data available on vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE) in Thailand are inadequate. Methods Using enterobacterial repetitive intergenic consensus-polymerase chain reaction (ERIC-PCR), this study investigated genes that encode antimicrobial resistance and genetic relatedness to further understand VRE prevalence. Ninety VRE isolates were collected between 2011 and 2019 from a tertiary care hospital in southern Thailand. Antimicrobial susceptibility was determined using the disk diffusion method and E-test methods. Multiplex PCR was performed to detect the van gene and virulence genes. Results The study showed a high prevalence of diverse multidrug-resistant VRE strains. The prevalence of VRE infection was the highest in 2014 (28 isolates, 39.4%). VRE were mostly found in the urogenital tract (26 isolates, 28.9%), followed by the digestive tract (20%), body fluid, i.e., pancreatic cyst fluid, peritoneal dialysis fluid, Jackson–Pratt (JP) drain (20%), and blood specimens (10%). Patients in medical and surgical wards had 71.1% multi-drug-resistant and 28.9% extensively drug-resistant (XDR) VRE strains, respectively. The most prevalent antibiotic resistance was to ampicillin (74.4%). Susceptibility to gentamicin and meropenem were similar (7% and 10%, respectively). Four isolates (4.4%) were resistant to colistin. Only vanA was detected among the strains. The virulence gene test showed that the detection rates of enterococcal surface protein (esp) and hyaluronidase (hyl) genes were 91.1% and 5.6%, respectively. According to ERIC-PCR analysis, 51 of 90 strains had clonality, with a similarity rate of 95%. Conclusions We conclude that there is a need to implement infection control practices and active surveillance. Molecular techniques can effectively detect antibiotic-resistant genes, which would allow monitoring to control VRE infection in hospitals.

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