Enfermedades infecciosas y microbiología clínica
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Enferm. Infecc. Microbiol. Clin. · Oct 2007
[Environmental contamination during a vancomycin-resistant Enterococci outbreak at a hospital in Argentina].
Vancomycin-resistant enterococci isolates (VRE) have caused numerous outbreaks in intensive care units (ICUs). A contaminated hospital environment, the hands of health care workers (HCW), and carrier patients may play important roles in perpetuating the chain of transmission in these outbreaks. The aims of this study were to report the first VRE outbreak in our center and assess the role of environmental contamination and HCW hands in the spread of new cases of enterococcal infection. ⋯ Environmental contamination provides an important reservoir for future outbreaks of VRE, perpetuating transmission of the microorganism in the hospital setting.