Novel Strategies for the Management of Vancomycin-Resistant Enterococcal Infections

AbstractPurpose of ReviewVancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE) are important nosocomial pathogens that commonly affect critically ill patients. VRE have a remarkable genetic plasticity allowing them to acquire genes associated with antimicrobial resistance. Therefore, the treatment of deep-seated infections due to VRE has become a challenge for the clinician. The purpose of this review is to assess the current and future strategies for the management of recalcitrant deep-seated VRE infections and efforts for infection control in the hospital setting.Recent FindingsPreventing colonization and decolonization of multidrug-resistant bacteria are becoming the most promising novel strategies to control and eradicate VRE from the hospital environment. Fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) has shown remarkable results on treating colonization and infection due toClostridiodes difficille and VRE, as well as to recover the integrity of the gut microbiota under antibiotic pressure. Initial reports have shown the efficacy of FMT on reestablishing patient microbiota diversity in the gut and reducing the dominance of VRE in the gastrointestinal tract. In addition, the use of bacteriophages may be a promising strategy in eradicating VRE from the gut of patients. Until these strategies become widely available in the hospital setting, the implementation of infection control measures and stewardship programs are paramount for the control of this pathogen and each program should provide recom...
Source: Current Infectious Disease Reports - Category: Infectious Diseases Source Type: research