Enterococci: epidemiological findings in hospitals in eastern France in 1996.

This epidemiological study focused on the development of antibiotic resista nce in various enterococcal species over an 18-month period. Bacterial isol ates and data were collected for 1 month in 6 during 1995 and 1996 from eve ry case of colonisation or infection by enterococci in nine hospitals. The incidence of colonisation and infection, and the prevalence of antibiotic r esistance for each site of infection and each phenotype were calculated. Th e mean infection rate was 3.58 % and that of the infected 2.91 %. The incid ence was significantly higher in larger hospitals and in patients over the age of 60 years. The urinary tract was most frequently affected and bactere mia was common. The relative risk (the mean monthly incidence per hundred b eds) was higher in intensive care, haematology and urology wards. The preva lence of resistant phenotypes was higher for Enterococcus faecium than for Enterococcus faecalis, with high-level resistance to gentamicin in 17.9 of E. faecium and 7.6 % of E. faecalis, to amoxicillin in 35.8 % (E. faecium) and 0.44 % (E. faecalis) of isolates and to vancomycin in 8.9 % (E. faecium ) and 0.58 % (E. faecalis) of isolates. The prevalence of amoxicillin resis tance increased over the study period, whereas resistance to the other anti biotics did not. (C) 1999 Elsevier, Paris.