Epidemiology of bacteriuria caused by vancomycin-resistant enterococci--a retrospective study

Alice H M Wong; Richard P Wenzel; Michael B Edmond

doi:10.1067/mic.2000.106904

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Epidemiology of bacteriuria caused by vancomycin-resistant enterococci--a retrospective study

Journal article

Peer reviewed

Epidemiology of bacteriuria caused by vancomycin-resistant enterococci--a retrospective study

Alice H M Wong, Richard P Wenzel and Michael B Edmond

American journal of infection control, Vol.28(4), pp.277-281

08/2000

DOI: 10.1067/mic.2000.106904

PMID: 10926703

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Abstract

The epidemiology of vancomycin-resistant enterococcal (VRE) bacteriuria has not been previously described. Our objectives are to describe the frequency of VRE bacteriuria, to use strict definitions to distinguish symptomatic urinary tract infection (UTI) versus urine colonization without pyuria versus asymptomatic bacteriuria with pyuria, and to describe the outcomes of each group. We used a retrospective analysis of patients with VRE bacteriuria in an academic medical center. During the 18-month study period, 98 of the 107 patients (92%) with urine cultures positive for VRE (23/10,000 admissions), had charts that were available for review. In 94 of 98 patients, the organism was Enterococcus faecium, and in only 4 was Enterococcus faecalis recovered. Thirty-seven patients were colonized with VRE; 21 patients had asymptomatic bacteriuria, and the status of 27 patients was not ascertainable. Thirteen patients had VRE UTIs with two associated bacteremias and one death. Patients with UTI versus patients without UTI were more likely to have an underlying malignancy (39% vs 9%, P =.014). The majority of urine cultures yielding VRE do not represent true infection, rather colonization or asymptomatic bacteriuria.

Humans

Middle Aged

Bacteriuria - microbiology

Bacteriuria - epidemiology

Male

Urinary Tract Infections - complications

Enterococcus faecium - isolation & purification

Bacteremia - microbiology

Enterococcus - isolation & purification

Hospitals, Teaching

Aged, 80 and over

Anti-Infective Agents, Urinary - therapeutic use

Adult

Female

Urinary Tract Infections - microbiology

Retrospective Studies

Diagnosis, Differential

Urinary Tract Infections - diagnosis

Bacteriuria - diagnosis

Vancomycin Resistance

Treatment Outcome

Urinary Tract Infections - drug therapy

Enterococcus faecalis - isolation & purification

Urinary Tract Infections - epidemiology

Virginia - epidemiology

Adolescent

Aged

Enterococcus - drug effects

Bacteriuria - complications

Bacteriuria - drug therapy

Details

Title: Subtitle: Epidemiology of bacteriuria caused by vancomycin-resistant enterococci--a retrospective study
Creators: Alice H M Wong - Division of Quality Health Care, Department of Internal Medicine, Medical College of Virginia Campus of Virginia, Commonwealth University Richmond, USA
Richard P Wenzel
Michael B Edmond
Resource Type: Journal article
Publication Details: American journal of infection control, Vol.28(4), pp.277-281
Publisher: United States
DOI: 10.1067/mic.2000.106904
PMID: 10926703
ISSN: 0196-6553
eISSN: 1527-3296
Language: English
Date published: 08/2000
Academic Unit: Infectious Diseases; Internal Medicine
Record Identifier: 9983905639802771

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