Annals of Clinical Microbiology, The official Journal of the Korean Society of Clinical Microbiology

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Weeks in Review

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Weeks to Publication
Indexed in KCI, KoreaMed, Synapse, DOAJ
Open Access, Peer Reviewed
pISSN 2288-0585 eISSN 2288-6850
Review article

Resistance Mechanism and Epidemiology of Vancomycin-resistant Enterococci

Wee Gyo Lee

Department of Laboratory Medicine, Ajou University School of Medicine, Suwon, Korea

Corresponding to Wee Gyo Lee, E-mail: weegyo@ajou.ac.kr

Ann Clin Microbiol 2008;11(2):71-77.
Copyright © Korean Society of Clinical Microbiology.

Abstract

Since vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE) were first isolated in Europe, rates of VRE colonization and infection have risen steadily. Today VRE have emerged as important nosocomial pathogens worldwide; hence, it is crucial to understand the underlying mechanism in the spreading of VRE. This article reviews the mechanism of resistance to vancomycin and global epidemiology of VRE, as well as the current molecular techniques that are being applied to the epidemiological studies of VRE. (Korean J Clin Microbiol 2008;11:71-77)

Keywords

Enterococci, Vancomycin, Epidemiology, Molecular techniques