Frequently asked questions about Vancomycin-resistant Enterococci (VRE) blood stream infections

Generally, people do not die if they infected with VRE. In severe cases of VRE bacteremias can lead to death. This is rare and tends to occur in those people with other severe health problems. The vast majority of people recover from VRE once their health is restored.

If a patient is simply carrying VRE, no treatment is necessary, as the organism will be cleared on its own when the person’s health is restored. If it is determined that the patient is infected (they have a blood infection, urine infection or wound infection etc.) then the patient will treated with the appropriate antibiotic as determined by a physician.

We do not routinely monitor or isolate persons who carry VRE. Patients with VRE infections are identified during their care and treated accordingly.

All infection prevention and control precautions or Routine Practices aim to limit the spread of any bacteria to other patients and to health care providers.  

Here at KGH we do not routinely place patients on precautions or isolate those who carry or are infected with VRE. Routine Practices are used because VRE, like other germs can be spread from one person to another by contact; hand hygiene is critical to preventing the spread of all infections in a healthcare setting. Health care providers are routinely required to clean their hands before, during and after patient contact. We also clean and disinfect all patient rooms and equipment to help stop the spread of VRE and other germs. 

VRE is spread from one person to another by contact, usually on the hands of health care providers (HCP). VRE can be present on the health care provider’s hands either from touching contaminated material excreted by the infected person or from touching articles contaminated by the skin of a person with VRE, such as towels, sheets and wound dressings. VRE can live on hands and objects in the environment.

Risk factors for VRE acquisition include severe underlying illness, presence of invasive devices, prior colonization with VRE, antibiotic use and longer hospital stay.

Enterococci are bacteria that are normally present in the human intestines and are often found in the environment. These bacteria can sometimes cause infections. Vancomycin is an antibiotic that is often used to treat infections caused by enterococci. In some instances, enterococci have become resistant to this drug and thus are called Vancomycin-resistant Enterococci (VRE).

A bacteremia is the presence of bacteria in the bloodstream and is referred to as a bloodstream infection.

For more information and other related topics we recommend you visit:

• Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care - Patient Safety 
• Public Health Ontario - Regional Infection Control Networks (RICN)