What is Enterococcus faecium infection?

Enterococcus faecalis and E. faecium cause a variety of infections, including endocarditis, urinary tract infections, prostatitis, intra-abdominal infection, cellulitis, and wound infection as well as concurrent bacteremia. Enterococci are part of the normal intestinal flora.

What kind of infections does VRE cause?

Complications of VRE

• Bacteremia (bacterial infection that has spread to the bloodstream)
• Urinary tract infection.
• Endocarditis (infection of a heart valve)
• Meningitis.
• Wound infection.
• Pneumonia.
• Intra-abdominal infections (such as peritonitis)
• Pelvic infections.

Is VRE the same as Enterococcus faecalis?

Enterococcus faecalis is a Gram-positive, nonmotile, facultative anaerobic microbe. Vancomycin Resistant Enterococcus (VRE) are strains that are resistant to the antibiotic vancomycin.

Is VRE infection contagious?

How is it spread? VRE can spread from one person to another through contact with contaminated surfaces or equipment or through person to person spread, often via contaminated hands. It is not spread through the air by coughing or sneezing.

What are the symptoms of Enterococcus faecium?

They can include:

• fever.
• chills.
• fatigue.
• headache.
• abdominal pain.
• pain or burning when you urinate.
• nausea.
• vomiting.

Is Enterococcus faecium fatal?

In some studies, E. faecium bacteremia is associated with a higher mortality rate than E. faecalis (Noskin, Peterson, & Warren, 1995), and patients with rapidly fatal underlying diseases can have mortality rates as high as 75%.

How is Enterococcus faecium treated?

Linezolid, an oxazolidinone antibiotic, is available orally and intravenously and is used to treat infections caused by E faecium and E faecalis strains, including VRE.

Is VRE contagious?

Is VRE curable?

VRE infections can be cured in most patients, and the outcome is often more dependent on the underlying disease than on the infecting organism. The duration of treatment depends on the site of infection. For example, heart-valve infections may require six weeks of antibiotic therapy.

What antibiotics treat Enterococcus faecium?

How does someone get Enterococcus faecium?

E. faecalis infections spread from person to person through poor hygiene. Because these bacteria are found in feces, people can transmit the infection if they don’t wash their hands after using the bathroom. The bacteria can get into food or onto surfaces such as doorknobs, telephones, and computer keyboards.