High-level vancomycin-resistant enterococci causing hospital infections

Uttley, A H C; George, R C; Naidoo, J; Woodford, N; Johnson, A P; Collins, C H; Morrison, Donald; Gilfillan, A; Fitch, L E; Heptonstall, J

Abstract

Nosocomial infection or colonization due to enterococci with high-level
resistance to vancomycin (minimal inhibitory concentrations [MICs] between 64
and > 2000 mg/L) has occurred in 41 patients with renal disease. These
vancomycin-resistant enterococci were cultured from many sources including
blood. All but one strain contained one or more plasmids ranging in molecular
weight from 1*0 to 40 Megadaltons (MDa). Vancomycin resistance was transferable
by conjugation to a susceptible recipient strain of Enterococcus faecalis but this
was not always associated with plasmid DNA. The emergence of transferable highlevel
vancomycin resistance in enterococci causing significant clinical infections is
of particular importance since vancomycin is widely regarded as a reserve drug for
the management of infections with multi-resistant Gram-positive organisms.

Citation

Uttley, A. H. C., George, R. C., Naidoo, J., Woodford, N., Johnson, A. P., Collins, C. H., Morrison, D., Gilfillan, A., Fitch, L. E., & Heptonstall, J. (1989). High-level vancomycin-resistant enterococci causing hospital infections. Epidemiology and Infection, 103(01), 173-181. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0950268800030478

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Publication Date: 1989
• Deposit Date: Jun 11, 2015
• Print ISSN: 0950-2688
• Electronic ISSN: 1469-4409
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 103
• Issue: 01
• Pages: 173-181
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/S0950268800030478
• Keywords: Enterococci; vancomycin; minimal inhibitory concentrations (MICs)
• Public URL: http://researchrepository.napier.ac.uk/id/eprint/8648
• Publisher URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/S0950268800030478