Short Communication: Acquisition of antibiotic-resistant Enterococcus faecium strains during long-term hospitalization and fast adaptation of enterococcal flora to antibiotic treatment: A case report

• Published in: International journal of hygiene and environmental health Vol. 212; no. 1; pp. 105 - 108
• Main Authors: Schulte, Berit, Wolz, Christiane, Schumacher, Ulrike, Beyser, Kurt, Heeg, Peter, Borgmann, Stefan
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: 01-01-2009
• Subjects: Enterococcus faecium
• ISSN: 1438-4639
• DOI: 10.1016/j.ijheh.2007.12.003

Recently, it has been suspected that long durations of hospitalization might be a possible risk factor to get colonized by multiple VRE strains. Here we present the case of a patient who underwent stem cell transplantation and subsequently stayed at the hospital for about 4 months until death. At least four different Enterococcus faecium strains were identified from routinely taken microbiological specimens as demonstrated by pulsed-field gel-electrophoresis. Additionally, these strains showed variable susceptibility to quinupristine/dalfopristine, vancomycin, and/or linezolid depending on different antibiotic administrations. These findings indicate that patients might be colonized with multiple Enterococcus faecium strains and that the enterococcal flora quickly adapts due to antibiotic exposure.