ANTIBIOTIC-RESISTANCE AND GENOMIC ANALYSIS OF ENTEROCOCCI IN AN INTENSIVE-CARE UNIT AND GENERAL WARDS

Fifty-nine enterococci isolated from 18 patients in an intensive care unit (ICU) and 21 patients in general wards (GW) at Royal Perth Hospit al (RPH) during a period of 14 months were examined for antibiotic res istance by susceptibility testing and DNA polymorphism by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis. The study showed that penicillin-resistant Enter ococcus faecium is a common nosocomial isolate in ICU. The DNA pattern s of various strains of E, faecium and E. faecalis were closely relate d in most consecutive isolates from the same patients but were general ly different for isolates from different patients. Thirty two differen t DNA patterns were identified for 59 isolates from 39 patients. Ident ical or similar DNA patterns were also identified for some isolates fr om different patients, suggesting that cross-infection had occurred be tween patients in ICU and GW. These data suggest that cross-infection occurred more commonly in ICU than in GW and are consistent with the k nown higher risk of ICU patients for nosocomial infection.