{Reference Type}: Journal Article
{Title}: Previous antibiotic therapy as independent risk factor for the presence of vancomycin-resistant enterococci in surgical inpatients. Results from a matched case-control study.
{Author}: MacKenzie P;Färber J;Post M;Esser T;Bechmann L;Kropf S;Croner R;Geginat G;
{Journal}: BMC Infect Dis
{Volume}: 23
{Issue}: 1
{Year}: 2023 May 2
{Factor}: 3.667
{DOI}: 10.1186/s12879-023-08238-4
{Abstract}: <B>BACKGROUND: </B>Investigation of risk factors for the presence of vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE) in inpatients on surgical wards and associated intensive care units of a German tertiary care hospital.<BR><B>METHODS: </B>A single-centre retrospective matched case-control study was performed with surgical inpatients admitted between July 2013 and December 2016. Patients with in-hospital detection of VRE later than 48 h after admission were included and comprised 116 VRE-positive cases and 116 VRE-negative matched controls. VRE isolates of cases were typed by multi-locus sequence typing.<BR><B>RESULTS: </B>ST117 was identified as the dominant VRE sequence type. Next to length of stay in hospital or on an intensive care unit and previous dialysis the case-control study revealed previous antibiotic therapy as a risk factor for the in-hospital detection of VRE. The antibiotics piperacillin/tazobactam, meropenem, and vancomycin were associated with the highest risks. After taking into account length of stay in hospital as possible confounder other potential contact-related risk factors such as previous sonography, radiology, central venous catheter, and endoscopy were not significant.<BR><B>CONCLUSIONS: </B>Previous dialysis and previous antibiotic therapy were identified as independent risk factors for the presence of VRE in surgical inpatients.