Abstract
One hundred and twenty-five episodes of enterococcal bacteraemia occurring over a 50-month period were studied prospectively. Enterococcus faecium was the commonest species, accounting for 76 (59·8%) of the 127 isolates. Overall, 33·1% of isolates were resistant to ampicillin and one isolate (0·8%) to vancomycin; high-level gentamicin resistance was detected in 4·3% of 93 isolates tested. The percentage of nosocomial episodes was 70·4, and 95.2% of the patients had significant underlying illness. Central venous catheters (CVCs) were the commonest source of infection. Eighty-four per cent of episodes were ultimately treated with appropriate antibiotics. The overall mortality rate was 17·6%, and that directly attributable to infection was 8·0%. An increased mortality rate was observed in intensive care and neonatal unit patients, and in patients who had received antimicrobial therapy in the 2 weeks prior to enterococcemia. CVC-related infections were associated with a reduced mortality. No other clinical or microbiological factors were found to influence outcome.
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