Background: In Korea, a sudden increase in vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE) infection has been noted since the late 1990s. This study was conducted to describe the antimicrobial resistances of enterococcal blood isolates and to identify risk factors associated with VRE bacteremia in a tertiary care university hospital over a recent five-year period. 

Methods: This study was conducted to analyze the antimicrobial susceptibilities of enterococcal blood isolates by year from January 2003 to December 2007. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to investigate factors associated with VRE bacteremia. 

Results: A total of 225 enterococcal strains (44.7% Enterococcus faecalis, 42.4% Enterococcus facium, 5.9% Enterococcus casseliflavus, and 4.7% Enterococcus gallinarum) were detected in blood, 55 of which (21.6%) were resistant to vancomycin. In 2004 and 2005, the resistance rates for vancomycin and teicoplanin (33.3% and 27.3%; 34.4% and 23.0%, respectively) increased. In 2003, 2006, and 2007, the resistance rates for vancomycin and teicoplanin (8.7% and 8.7%; 19.0% and 14.3%; 13.5% and 11.5%, respectively) decreased relative to those of the previous years. When 55 patients with VRE bacteremia were compared with 55 patients with vancomycin-susceptible enterococcal bacteremia using multivariate analysis, E. faecium bacteremia (OR 12.624, P＜0.001) and enterococcal bacteremia caused by species other than E. faecium and E. faecalis (OR 21.473, P=0.011) were found to be statistical risk factors. Among several infection control activities, the restricted uses of vancomycin and quinupristin-dalfopristin decreased the vancomycin resistance rate from 27.78% to 15.50% (P=0.0257). 

Conclusion: VRE bacteremia would be effectively controlled via infection control activities based on studies regarding risk factors associated with VRE bacteremia. (Korean J Clin Microbiol 2010;13:59-67)