Prevalence of intestinal colonization by vancomaycin-resistant enterococci in Shiraz Namazi Hospital

The aim of this cross sectional study was to determine the prevalence of intestinal colonization by vancomaycin-resistant enterococci (VRE) in Namazi Hospital in Shiraz. Serial rectal swabs were obtained every 5 days from all the 700 hospitalized patients, (from December 2003 through July 2004), and VRE (Vancomycin-resistant Enterococci) were detected by disk diffusion method and then confirmed with Minimum Inhibitory Concentration dilution Method. The data collected out of interviews and patients` records, were analyzed by means of chi-square test. 99 (%14) out of 700 patients were colonized by VRE. 3% of 23 patients who had negative tests for VRE, at the time of hospitalization, were colonized by resistant enterococci. In this study the prevalence of VRE showed a significant relationship with variables of age, ward, history of previous admissions, history of previous antibiotic use, duration of hospitalization, underlying disease, neutropenia, renal failure, dialysis and major surgery (p<0/05). But association between prevalence of VRE and sex, clinical outcome or conditions such as immunosuppression, cancer and diabetes were not statistically significant (p>0.05). This study that was the first on VRE in Iran and revealed that colonizeation with VRE has a high prevalence in Namazi Hospital and this organism might be endemic in large hospitals. Interventional strategies are required to control this emerging nosocomial infection.