Comparison of Five Chromogenic Media for Recovery of Vancomycin- Resistant Enterococci from Fecal Samples

Five chromogenic agars, evaluated using 400 stool specimens, were found to be superior in sensitivity (range, 89.9 to 93.9%) to bile esculin azide agar with vancomycin (BEAV) agar (84.8%) for detecting vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE), and the results were available 24 to 48 h sooner. The time to detection, need for supplemental testing, color distinction, and break-through of non-VRE organisms vary among the chromogenic media tested andmay factor into the decision to use a particular medium. Vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE) are important causesof nosocomial infections and are associated with increasing mortality among specific patient groups, such as those with hema-tologic malignancy (1, 2). The rapid and reliable identification of antibiotic-resistant organisms is critical for patient management and infection control measures in both infected and colonized individuals (1, 3). The CDC recommends that institutions with moderate to high rates of VRE perform active surveillance using stool or rectal swab specimens (4). Bile esculin azide agar with vancomycin (BEAV) has been used as a traditional screening method in many clinical laboratories for detecting VRE in rec