Antibiotic Resistance Patterns of E.Faecium and E.Faecalis Strains Isolated from ICUs

Abstract Background and Objective: some of predisposing factors for enterococci colonization are hospitalization in ICU, prolonged use of antibiotics and continued bed rest in hospital. In this study antibiotic resistance of enterococcus in hospitalized patients of four hospitals in Tehran were studied. Material and Methods: the Clinical samples were taken from patients admitted to the ICU, from September 2011 to April 2012. Enterococci isolates were confirmed by biochemical tests, and Enterococcus faecalis and Enterococcus species by species-specific ddl genes. The disk diffusion and micro agar dilution susceptibility tests were performed according to Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI). Results: of 41 isolates in ICUs, 22 (5.52%) were E. faecium and 19 (5.47%) were E. faecalis. Most of E. faecium was isolated from urine and E. faecalis from trachea specimens. The rate of resistance to vancomycin, ampicillin, gentamicin, chloramphenicol and nitrofurantoin in E. faecium isolates was more than that of E. faecalis and the rate of resistance to tetracycline, ciprofloxacin and erythromycin was the same in both of them. MIC50 in vancomycin and ampicillin resistant E. faecium isolates was greater than 256 microgram and the MIC50 in gentamicin resistant isolates was more than 1024 microgram. . Conclusion: The presence of multi-resistant E. faecium strains in ICUs can be a serious warning for physicians and patients. Key words: Enterococcus faecium, Enterococcus faecalis, ICU, Antibiotic Resistance