Korean J Infect Dis.
1998 Feb;30(1):1-9.
A Study on Molecular Epidemiology of Vancomycin-Resistant Enterococci Isolated from Hospitals in Korea
- Affiliations
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- 1Department of Clinical Pathology, Sung Kyun Kwan University, College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
- 2Division of Infectious Diseases, Sung Kyun Kwan University, College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
- 3Department of Microbiology, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
- 4Department of Clinical Pathology, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
- 5Department of Clinical Pathology, Ajou University School of Medicine, Suwon, Korea.
- 6Department of Clinical Pathology, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
- 7Department of Clinical Pathology, University of Ulsan College of Medicine and Asan Medical Center, Seoul, Korea.
Abstract
- BACKGROUND
Enterococci have emerged in recent years as a frequent cause of life-threatening nosocomial infections. The emergence of vancomycin-resistant enterococci(VRE) presents as an increasingly important problem particularly in the treatment and the potential dissemination of vancomycin-resistance. The purpose of this study is to determine the phenotypes and genotypes of VRE isolated from five hospitals and to study the genetic relatedness among them.
METHODS
Antimicrobial susceptibility patterns and amplification of vancomycin resistance genes were used for phenotyping and genotyping of 42 VRE isolates respectively. For 21 isolates with vanA or vanB gene, plasmid profiles and pulsed field gel electrophoresis(PFGE) patterns were analyzed for molecular epidemiologic study.
RESULTS
Out of 42 isolates, 21 were identified as E. faecium, 6 as E. faecalis, 2 as E. avium, and 13 as E. casseliflavus. Phenotyping showed 14 isolates as VanA(33%), 7 as VanB(17%) and 21 as VanC(50 %). Genotyping resulted in 12 isolates as vanA(5 of E. faecalis and 7 of E. faecium) and 9 as vanB(all E. faecium). Genotyping results were concordant with phenotyping results except for the two E. faecium isolates of VanA which had vanB genotype. Intrahospital spread of the same strains was proven in three hospitals by plasmid profiles and PFGE analysis.
CONCLUSION
The study demonstrated a considerable number of VRE isolates in Korea and intrahospital spread proven by molecular epidemiologic methods. Although VRE infection has been considered very rare in Korea, practical guidelines including restriction of vancomycin usage and surveillance, are warranted to prevent infection and dissemination of VRE.
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