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Vancomycin-resistant enterococci in fecal samples from hospitalized patients and non-hospitalized individuals in Gaza City

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Abstract

Aims

Despite the use of vancomycin in Gaza, there are no available data concerning resistance against it. The study was carried out in order to determine the occurence of vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE) in Gaza City.

Subjects and methods

One hundred hospitalized patients from the medical and surgical intensive care unit (ICU), pediatric ICU, renal units and hemato-oncology wards at Al Shifa and Al Naser hospitals were screened for VRE fecal colonization. In addition, 100 non-hospitalized individuals from all over Gaza City were screened. Specimens were enriched and cultured on selective media for the isolation of enterococci. All isolates were identified, and their minimum inhibitory concentration for vancomycin was determined. The susceptibilities of the enterococci to vancomycin and other common antibiotics were determined by the disk diffusion method.

Results

Enterococci were found in 94% of the hospitalized patients and in 89% of non-hospitalized individuals. VRE were isolated from 69.1% and 43.8% of hospitalized patients and non-hospitalized individuals, respectively. High rates of resistance to common antimicrobials used in human medicine were observed. E. faecalis was observed to be the predominant species recovered among non-hospitalized individuals (34%), while among hospitalized patients, E. faecium was the predominant identified species (37%). Among both hospitalized patients and non-hospitalized individuals, E. faecium has the highest resistance rate to vancomycin.

Conclusions

Enterococci were isolated from both hospitalized and non-hospitalized subjects in Gaza City, who have high rates of antibiotic resistance, including against vancomycin. Strategies to promptly identify colonized patients should be designed and implemented in hospitals.

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Conflict of interest

The authors disclose any relevant associations that might pose a conflict of interest.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Microbiology (Ministry of Health), Gaza, Palestine

    Nawal Hijazi

  2. Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, The Islamic University of Gaza, P.O. Box 108, Gaza, Palestine

    Adnan Al-Hindi

  3. Department of Medical Technology, Faculty of Science, The Islamic University of Gaza, P.O. Box 108, Gaza, Palestine

    Abdelraouf A. Elmanama

Authors
  1. Nawal Hijazi
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  2. Abdelraouf A. Elmanama
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  3. Adnan Al-Hindi
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Correspondence to Abdelraouf A. Elmanama.

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Hijazi, N., Elmanama, A.A. & Al-Hindi, A. Vancomycin-resistant enterococci in fecal samples from hospitalized patients and non-hospitalized individuals in Gaza City. J Public Health 17, 243–249 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10389-008-0242-5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10389-008-0242-5

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