Title:An Update to Enterococcal Bacteremia: Epidemiology, Resistance, and
Outcome
Volume: 22
Issue: 2
Author(s): Sirous Jafari, Alireza Abdollahi, Marjan Sabahi, Mohammadreza Salehi, Ali Asadollahi-Amin, Malihe Hasannezhad and Arash Seifi*
Affiliation:
- Department of Infectious Diseases, School of Medicine, Imam Khomeini Hospital, Tehran University of Medical Sciences,
Tehran, Iran
Keywords:
Enterococcal bacteremia, Enterococcus faecalis, Enterococcus faecium, resistance, microorganisms, epidemiology.
Abstract:
Background: An increase in resistant gram-positive cocci, especially enterococci, requires
an epidemiologic re-assay and its results may affect empirical treatments for these infections.
Objective: In this study, we investigated the microbial epidemiology and resistance pattern of enterococcal
bacteremia.
Methods: This study was a cross-sectional study that investigated all cases of positive blood cultures
with Enterococcus spp. at a tertiary referral colligates hospital in Tehran in 2018.
Results: Enterococcus spp. was isolated from blood cultures of a total of 73 patients. Most of the
patients were male i.e: 42 (57.7%). The mean age of the patients was 58.8 (±18.8) years. Hospital-
acquired infection was the most prevalent type of infection involving enterococcal bacteremia
(80.8%) compared with community-acquired (6.7%) and the health care-associated one (12.3%).
Renal failure and cancer were the most underlying disease in E. faecalis and E. faecium, respectively.
Mortality for Vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE) was approximately two times more than
the sensitive ones. Between the dead/alive groups, the following items were significantly different
(P.Value<0.05): Vancomycin resistance for enterococcus isolated, immunodeficiency as an underlying
disease, Mechanical ventilation, hospitalization period, and the empiric regimen.
Conclusion: Increased antibiotic-resistant strains, especially Vancomycin-resistant enterococci
(VRE), pose a serious threat to the general public, especially hospitalized patients, causing an increase
in mortality. Surveillance of microorganisms and antimicrobial resistance is a crucial part of
an efficient health care system.
