Abstract
Healthcare-associated infections caused by drug-resistant organisms such as MRSA (methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus), VRE (vancomycin-resistant enterococci) and MDRP (multidrug-resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa) have become a serious problem since the third-generation cephalosporins were used on 1980' s.
Most automatic susceptibility testing systems determine the MIC of glycopeptides against certain gram-positive cocci between 16 and 24 hours. However, our microbiology laboratory added the optional criteria of measuring the MIC at 48 hours to identify heterogeneously glycopeptide-resistant strains. In 2005, a VanB type VRE strain was isolated from the urine of an inpatient. This article discusses early recognition and infection control strategy based on a cooperative relationship among healthcare departments, which successfully controlled the healthcare-associated spread of VRE transmission in this case.
