Aim: To assess the prevalence of vancomycin-resistant enterococcal colonisation of hospitalised patients in five selected Auckland hospitals.
Methods: Faeces specimens submitted to the Microbiology Laboratories at Auckland and Middlemore Hospitals for Clostridium difficile toxin assay were screened for the presence of vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE).
Results: VRE were cultured from two of 686 patients, giving a colonisation rate of 0.3% in those patients who had a faeces sample submitted for C. difficile toxin assay (95% CI 0 to 0.7%). Both isolates were Enterococcus faecalis; susceptible to ampicillin, resistant to vancomycin and of the vanA genotype.
Conclusions: This is the first screening study in New Zealand that has identified patients with VRE colonisation. While VRE are still rarely isolated in this country, rates of colonisation and infection may be increasing. Hospitals need to be aware of the likely emergence of VRE and be prepared to implement strategies to limit their spread.