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. 2018 Jul;23(29):1800351.
doi: 10.2807/1560-7917.ES.2018.23.29.1800351.

Outbreak of vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus faecium clone ST796, Switzerland, December 2017 to April 2018

Nasstasja Wassilew  1 , Helena Mb Seth-Smith  2   3 , Eveline Rolli  1 , Yvonne Fietze  1 , Carlo Casanova  4 , Urs Führer  5 , Adrian Egli  2   3 , Jonas Marschall  1 , Niccolò Buetti  1
Affiliations

Outbreak of vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus faecium clone ST796, Switzerland, December 2017 to April 2018

Nasstasja Wassilew et al. Euro Surveill. 2018 Jul.

Erratum in

  • Authors' correction for Euro Surveill. 2018;23(29).
    Eurosurveillance editorial team. Eurosurveillance editorial team. Euro Surveill. 2018 Jul;23(30):1807263. doi: 10.2807/1560-7917.ES.2018.23.30.1807263. Euro Surveill. 2018. PMID: 30064545 Free PMC article. No abstract available.

Abstract

A large outbreak of vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE) is affecting four hospitals in the Canton of Bern, Switzerland, since December 2017. Of 89 cases identified as carriers, 77 (86.5%) VRE isolates were virtually indistinguishable using whole genome sequencing, and identified as multilocus sequence type (MLST) ST796. This clone, previously only described in Australia and New Zealand, is characterised by rapid spread and the ability to cause bloodstream infections. It requires a multifaceted infection prevention effort.

Keywords: ST796; VRE; emergent clone; enterococcus; outbreak; vancomycin-resistant enterococci; whole genome sequencing.

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Conflict of interest statement

Conflict of interest: None declared.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Distribution of vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus faecium ST796 in four different hospitals, Canton of Bern, Switzerland, 30 December 2017 to 30 April 2018 (n = 89)
Figure 2
Figure 2
Core genome multilocus sequencing typing multiple spanning tree of Enterococcus faecium isolates, the Canton of Bern outbreak, Switzerland and isolates detected in Australia, 30 December 2017–30 April 2018
Figure 3
Figure 3
Epidemic curve of vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE) cases by sequence type, Canton of Bern outbreak, Switzerland, December 2017–April 2018 (n = 89)
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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