VANCOMYCIN-RESISTANT ENTEROCOCCAL COLONIZATION IN NONHOSPITALIZED HIV-INFECTED PATIENTS

We studied fecal colonization with vancomycin-resistant enterococci (V RE) in 89 HIV-infected nonhospitalized patients ages 24 to 62 years, i ncluding 70 (79%) men (including 41 homosexual and 5 bisexual men) and 19 (21%) women. Of the 89 patients, 61 (69%) were black, 25 (28%) His panic, and 3 (3%) white; 53 (60%) had history of ongoing or recent ant ibacterial therapy with trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole (29), clarithrom ycin (18), amoxicillin (7), ofloxacin (3), and metronidazole, doxycycl ine, dicloxacillin, and cephalexin (1 each). VRE were not isolated fro m any of the patients studied.