• Korean Journal of Clinical Laboratory Science
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• v.46 no.2
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• pp.64-67
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• 2014

Vancomycin-resistant Enterococci (VRE) are a leading cause of a nosocomial infection. While seven glycopeptide resistance genotypes have been found in Enterococci, vanA and vanB are the most common resistance genotypes. Aims of this study were to detect antibiotic susceptibilities of 23 Enterococcus spp, which broke out in a university hospital by the disk diffusion test, to investigate specific genes of vanA and vanB by conventional and real-time PCR. PCR for vanA and vanB was performed on 23 Enterococci, all 23 were positive for vanA type. This study reports the validation of a simple and rapid VRE detection method that can be easily incorporated into the daily routine of a clinical laboratory. Early detection of VRE strains, including those with susceptibility to Vancomycin, is of paramount clinical importance, as it allows a rapid initiation of strict infection control practices as well as a therapeutic guidance for a confirmed infection. The real-time PCR method is a rapid technique to detect vanA in Enterococci. It is simple and reliable for the rapid characterization of VRE.

• Korean Journal of Clinical Laboratory Science
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• v.45 no.1
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• pp.1-4
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• 2013

Vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE) have emerged as important healthcare-associated infection since last two decades. ChromID VRE agar (cIDVA) is useful for VRE rectal swab screening. We investigated all VRE were isolated on the cIDVA. A total of 363 rectal swabs of 85 patients to test VRE screening were inoculated into bile-esculin (B-E) broth with $6{\mu}g/mL$ vancomycin. After 24 hours incubation, we subcultured B-E broths were changed to black onto cIDVA. All isolates were identified by the MICROSCAN and VITEK2. The vanA gene and vancomycin minimal inhibition concentration (MIC) were detected by PCR and E-test respectively. 277 E. faecium (84.7%), 16 E. faecalis (4.9%), 25 E. avium (7.6%), 8 E. gallinarum (2.4%) and 1 E. raffinosus (0.3%) were isolated. 10.3% of VRE detected on cIDVA were other than E. faecium and E. faecalis that presented various color from colorless to pale violet. All isolates contained vanA and vancomycin MIC were > $256{\mu}g/mL$. VRE isolates other than E. faecium and E. faecalis should be objective to the contact precautions for healthcare-associated infection control if they possess vanA gene. Due to emerging enterococci carrying vanA such as E. avium, E. gallinarum, and E. raffinosus, VRE surveillance should be expanded to all isolates on chromogenic agar.

• Korean Journal of Clinical Laboratory Science
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• v.45 no.1
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• pp.16-20
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• 2013

Outbreaks of vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE) are being reported more frequently in many countries. While seven glycopeptide resistance genotypes have been described in Enterococci, vanA and vanB are the most common resistance genotypes. The aim of this study was to detect antibiotic susceptibilities of 23 Enterococcus faecium strains, which caused an outbreak in a University hospital by a disk diffusion test to investigate the presence of the species specific gene, and the resistant genotypes, vanA and vanB by duplex PCR. PCR for vanA and vanB was performed on 23 enterococci. Twenty three were identified as E. faecium and were tested positive for the vanA genotype. This study will report on the validation of a simple and accurate VRE detection method that can be easily incorporated into the daily routine of a clinical laboratory. Early detection of VRE strains, including those with susceptibility to vancomycin, is of paramount clinical importance as it allows rapid initiation of strict infection control practices, as well as the therapeutic guidance for confirmed infections. The PCR method developed in the present study is simple and reliable for the rapid characterization of VRE.

• Pediatric Infection and Vaccine
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• v.29 no.2
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• pp.105-109
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• 2022

The treatment of invasive infections caused by multidrug-resistant vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE) is challenging, particularly in pediatric patients with underlying medical conditions. Newer antibiotics used to treat VRE infections in pediatric patients are insufficiently studied. This report presents the case of a 6-month-old infant who underwent heart-lung transplantation and was successfully treated with a combination of daptomycin and tigecycline for recurrent VRE bacteremia shortly after the discontinuation of linezolid.

• Korean Journal of Veterinary Research
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• v.39 no.2
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• pp.343-352
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• 1999

Vancomycin resistant enterococci (VRE) have emerged as an important nosocomial pathogen. Since 1989 the Center for Disease Control, United States, has reported a rapid increase in the incidence of enterococcal bacteremia and endocarditis infection by VRE. It was suggested that the use of avoparcin was associated with the appearance of VRE in animal husbandry. To date, several detection methods have been used based on conventional methods of culture and gene detection. However, these methods have some limitations such as time-consuming, laborious and additional differential needs. Therefore, In this study a multiplex PCR method was established to detect and differentiate resistance types of enterococci which specifically amplify the four van genes encoding vancomycin resistance elements. Using the method, we investigated the incidence rates and types of VRE from farms using or not using avoparcin. A total of 1091 animal fecal samples were collected from 70 pig and 32 poultry farms. A total of 425 of enterococci were isolated from samples. Of the 425 isolates, 11 of the them showed a pattern of high-level vancomycin resistance (MIC : $64{\sim}256{\mu}g/ml$) which was associated with the presence of the vanA or vanB gene. Fifty-seven isolates showed a pattern of low-level vancomycin resistance (MIC : $3{\sim}8{\mu}g/ml$) associated with the vanC-1 or vanC-2 gene. Interestingly, all isolates with high-level vancomycin resistance were from farms that have never used avoparcin. Moreover, the high-level VRE isolation rate in Korea (2.58%) was much lower than that of other countries (50% in England, 7% in Belgium) where avoparcin have been used. In conclusion, the multiplex PCR method established in this study could be applied for detection of VRE.

• The Journal of Internal Korean Medicine
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• v.45 no.2
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• pp.167-175
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• 2024

Hospital-acquired bacterial infections, including vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE) infection (MIC: 32 mcg/ml), are common. We describe the case of a 63-year-old female patient with subarachnoid hemorrhage and VRE infection treated with Jashin-bowon-tang and Samhuang-sashim-tang for 57 days and 22 days, respectively. The therapeutic effect was assessed weekly via culture, color and viscosity of pus from a coccyx sore, and C-reactive protein (CRP). Vital signs were checked four times a day. Seventeen days after treatment, VRE was not colonized in patient and color and viscosity of pus, CRP and vital sign were improved. This case report suggests that Jashin-bowon-tang and Samhuang-sashim-tang might be an alternative option for VRE infection patients reducing the need for extended isolation periods and speeding up recovery times.

• International Journal of Oral Biology
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• v.33 no.4
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• pp.213-216
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• 2008

Continentalic acid (CA, (-)-pimara-8(14), 15-diene-19-oic acid) was isolated from the roots of Aralia cordata (Araliaceae) using bioassay-guided fractionation of a crude chloroform extract. The antibacterial activity of CA against Enterococcus faecalis and Enterococcus gallinarium was estimated by determining minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) and minimum bactericidal concentrations (MBCs). CA exhibited potent activity against standard vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE) and vancomycin-susceptible enterococci (VSE), with MICs and MBCs values between 4 and $8{\mu}g/mL$ and 4 and $16{\mu}g/mL$, respectively. This compound exhibited potent activity against strains of VRE, which are highly resistant to clinically useful antibiotics. These findings suggest that continentalic acid may be useful in controlling enterococcal infection.

• Proceedings of The Korean Society of Health Promotion Conference
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• 2005.11a
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• pp.199-233
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• 2005

• YAKHAK HOEJI
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• v.51 no.4
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• pp.253-258
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• 2007

Bombycis corpus, a batryticated silkworm and white-stiff silkworm, is an oriental drug consisting of the dried larva of silkworm, dead and stiffened due to the infection of Beauveria. An peptidyl antimicrobial molecule was purified from B. corpus by reverse phase-column chromatography and HPLC. Its molecular weight was determined to be 2295.45 by using matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization-time of flight (MALDI-TOF) mass spectrometry. Its antimicrobial activity was diminished by trypsin digestion. It exhibited a broad antimicrobial spectrum against not only Gram-negative, but also Gram- positive bacteria. Furthermore, it was found to have an antimicrobial activity against vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE), methicillin-resistant S. arureus (MRSA), and vancomycin-intermediate resistant S. arureus (VISA). It may be a useful molecule for a new antibiotic development, especially against antibiotic resistant microbe. This substance may play a role in the defense system of this animal against Beauveria bassiana. This is the first report of a peptidyl antimicrobial substance from B. corpus.

• Journal of Korean Academy of Fundamentals of Nursing
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• v.19 no.1
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• pp.122-133
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• 2012

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to develop a web-based education program on control vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE) infections and to identify the effects of the program on knowledge and performance of nursing students. Methods: The web-based VRE infection control education program was developed by using the network-based instructional systems design model. The nursing students in the experimental group could access this web-based education program at any time, and as many times as they wanted, during the clinical training period. Effects were evaluated by assessing knowledge and performance of VRE infection control measures during the clinical training period. Results: The contents of the education program included diagnosis, transmission, and treatment of VRE, contact precautions, hand washing, personal protective equipment, environment management, and quizzes. The lecture portion was filmed in a virtual screen studio using flash animation, video, and sound effects, and it was uploaded on an internet site. The knowledge and performance scores of the experimental group after using the education program were significantly higher than those of the control group. Conclusion: The results suggest that the web-based VRE infection control education program is an effective educational method to enhance knowledge and performance of VRE infection control measures.