• Yashar Jalali, Igor Sturdik, Monika Jalali, Jan Kyselovic, Adriana Liptakova, Andrea Kolosova, and Juraj Payer.
• Bratisl Med J. 2022 Jan 1; 123 (8): 543-549.

BackgroundEnterococcus species account for most of the human enterococcal HAI and multidrug-resistant infections and have become a major threat to modern public health. We examine the rise in the number of vancomycin resistant E. faecium blood stream and urinary tract infections in a COVID-19 department during an epidemiologic outbreak investigation to detect and eliminate nosocomial clusters of the bacteria.Methods Strain identification was performed by classical isolation and biochemical and cultivation methods. Antibiotic testing results were interpreted according to European committee on antimicrobial susceptibility testing (EUCAST) guidelines. Six isolated samples underwent the whole genome sequencing (WGS) during the outbreak investigation. Isolate relatedness was determined using the core genome multi-locus sequence typing.Results WGS revealed two genotypically distinct VRE clusters, one of which had genetically closely related patients and environmental isolates. The cluster was terminated by enhanced infection control strategies.Conclusions This study provides the first description of an outbreak caused by vanB-ST117 and vanA-ST17 E. faecium strains among COVID-19 patients in Slovakia. This study can help to raise the awareness about the need for strict adherence to infection control measures and the implementation of rational antimicrobial stewardship as a routine part of COVID-19 management (Tab. 3, Fig. 3, Ref. 27). Text in PDF www.elis.sk Keywords: vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus faecium, antibiotic resistant, COVID-19, SARS-CoV-2, bacterial outbreak, healthcare-associated infection.

25 keywords...

hide…