Epidemiological Study of Hospital-Acquired Infection with Vancomycin-Resistant Enterococcus faecium: Possible Transmission by an Electronic Ear-Probe Thermometer
- 1 November 1997
- journal article
- Published by Cambridge University Press (CUP) in Infection Control & Hospital Epidemiology
- Vol. 18 (11) , 771-773
- https://doi.org/10.2307/30141323
Abstract
Clonal spread of vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus faecium among seven patients on one ward of a community teaching hospital was identified by contour-clamped homogeneous electric-field gel electrophoresis. Environmental cultures isolated the same strain from the handle of a shared electronic ear-probe thermometer. Cross-contamination of the clonal strain between two geographically separate units on this ward, sharing equipment but not personnel, suggests the possibility of an environmental source.Keywords
This publication has 11 references indexed in Scilit:
- Enterococci and hospital laundryThe Lancet, 1995
- DNA hybridization and contour-clamped homogeneous electric field electrophoresis for identification of enterococci to the species levelJournal of Clinical Microbiology, 1995
- Colonization pattern of vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus faeciumAmerican Journal of Infection Control, 1994
- The Use of Molecular Typing Techniques in the Epidemiologic Investigation of Resistant EnterococciInfection Control & Hospital Epidemiology, 1994
- Special Organism Isolation: Attempting to Bridge the GapInfection Control & Hospital Epidemiology, 1994
- Outbreak of multidrug-resistant Enterococcus faecium with transferable vanB class vancomycin resistanceJournal of Clinical Microbiology, 1994
- Molecular Epidemiology of Nosocomial Infection: Analysis of Chromosomal Restriction Fragment Patterns by Pulsed-Field Gel ElectrophoresisInfection Control & Hospital Epidemiology, 1993
- Characterization of Tn1546, a Tn3-related transposon conferring glycopeptide resistance by synthesis of depsipeptide peptidoglycan precursors in Enterococcus faecium BM4147Journal of Bacteriology, 1993
- Hospital-acquired Infection with Vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus faecium Transmitted by Electronic ThermometersAnnals of Internal Medicine, 1992
- Reduction in the Incidence of Clostridium difficile-Associated Diarrhea in an Acute Care Hospital and a Skilled Nursing Facility following Replacement of Electronic Thermometers with Single-Use DisposablesInfection Control & Hospital Epidemiology, 1992