A Study of Vancomycin Resistance in Enterococci from Urinary Specimens at a Tertiary Care Hospital in Meerut

Owing to the paucity of information on vancomycin resistance in enterococci from India, in the present study, enterococci isolated from urine specimen were studied for there antibiotic susceptibility & screened for vancomycin resistance.

A total of 106 enterococci isolates obtained in pure and significant numbers (>10 5 cfu/ml) from urine specimens were subjected to agar screen method of Clinical & Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI) for presence/absence of vancomycin resistance. Minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) was performed by agar dilution method. Antibiotic susceptibility pattern including susceptibility to high level gentamicin (120 μg/ml) was tested by Kirby Bauer disc diffusion method.

Two out of hundred & six (1.9%) isolates were vancomycin resistant enterococci (VRE). Both were Enterococcus fecalis with MIC>32 μg/ml. Although the frequency of isolation of VRE is not very high in our setting as compared to West, the problem may just be emerging. All patients with suspected UTI who have significant bacterial counts should be screened for vancomycin resistance.