A nosocomial cluster of vancomycin resistant enterococci among COVID-19 patients in an intensive care unit

Antimicrobial Resistance & Infection Control

Alexander Mellmann¹  Vera Schwierzeck¹  Stefanie Kampmeier¹  Hauke Tönnies¹  Carlos L. Correa-Martinez¹ 

[1] Institute of Hygiene, University Hospital Münster, Robert-Koch-Straße 41, 48149, Münster, Germany;

关键词: vanB;    Nosocomial VRE cluster;    Healthcare-associated infection;    Surface contamination;    Intensive care unit;    COVID-19;   

DOI  :  10.1186/s13756-020-00820-8

来源: Springer

【 摘 要 】

BackgroundCurrently, hospitals have been forced to divert substantial resources to cope with the ongoing coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. It is unclear if this situation will affect long-standing infection prevention practices and impact on healthcare associated infections. Here, we report a nosocomial cluster of vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE) that occurred on a COVID-19 dedicated intensive care unit (ICU) despite intensified contact precautions during the current pandemic. Whole genome sequence-based typing (WGS) was used to investigate genetic relatedness of VRE isolates collected from COVID-19 and non-COVID-19 patients during the outbreak and to compare them to environmental VRE samples.MethodsFive VRE isolated from patients (three clinical and two screening samples) as well as 11 VRE and six vancomycin susceptible Enterococcus faecium (E. faecium) samples from environmental sites underwent WGS during the outbreak investigation. Isolate relatedness was determined using core genome multilocus sequence typing (cgMLST).ResultsWGS revealed two genotypic distinct VRE clusters with genetically closely related patient and environmental isolates. The cluster was terminated by enhanced infection control bundle strategies.ConclusionsOur results illustrate the importance of continued adherence to infection prevention and control measures during the COVID-19 pandemic to prevent VRE transmission and healthcare associated infections.

【 授权许可】

CC BY