Vancomycin-resistant enterococci colonization of patients in Asir Central Hospital

ABSTRACT

Vancomycin - resistant Enterococcus [VRE] has now been identified in the Assir region of Saudi Arabia seven years after it was first reported in Riyadh in the kingdom in 1993. The reasons for this delay may be due to good infection control practices in our hospital and rational antibiotic usage, particularly of vancomycin and cephalosporins, although routine screening for VRE was not carried out. These reasons are further corroborated by the sporadic occurrence of the VRE in 3 patients in 1999 when they first appeared and later in 3 patients in 2000, to only one patient in 2001. Five out of seven isolates were from the respiratory tract and the remaining two from wound swabs. All strains were regarded as colonization rather than infection. The spread of VRE in the kingdom has far-reaching clinical and economic consequences, which may be averted by careful surveillance and prudent antibiotic use, particulary vancomycin and cephalosporins. It is hoped that this communication will alert physicians and microbiologists and increase their awareness to the potential serious threat of VRE in our community