Epidemic and nonepidemic multidrug-resistant Enterococcus faecium.(Research) From: Emerging Infectious Diseases | Date: September 1, 2003| Author: Bonten, Mark J.M.; de Neeling, Albert J.; Fluit, Ad C.; Hoepelman, Andy; Leavis, Helen L.; Mascini, Ellen M.; Spalburg, Emile; Top, Janetta; Willems, Rob J.L. | COPYRIGHT 2003 U.S. National Center for Infectious Diseases. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan.  All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group.Copyright information

The epidemiology of vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus faecium (VREF) in Europe is characterized by a large community reservoir. In contrast, nosocomial outbreaks and infections (without a community reservoir) characterize VREF in the United States. Previous studies demonstrated host-specific genogroups and a distinct genetic lineage of VREF associated with hospital outbreaks, characterized by the variant esp-gene and a specific allele-type of the purK housekeeping gene (purK1). We ...