Vre requires what type of precaution

Antibiotic resistance occurs when the germs no longer respond to the antibiotics designed to kill them. If these germs develop resistance to vancomycin, an antibiotic that is used to treat some drug-resistant infections, they become vancomycin-resistant enterococci VRE. VRE can spread from one person to another through contact with contaminated surfaces or equipment or through person to person spread, often via contaminated hands.

It is not spread through the air by coughing or sneezing. When VRE infections do develop, they are generally treated with antibiotics other than vancomycin. In order to identify the best antibiotic to treat a specific infection, healthcare providers will send a specimen often called a culture to the laboratory and test any bacteria that grow against a set of antibiotics to determine which are active against the germ.

The provider will then select an antibiotic based on the activity of the antibiotic and other factors like potential side effects or interactions with other drugs. Some people will carry VRE on their body without it causing symptoms, which is called being colonized. People who are colonized do not require antibiotics. This surveillance system collects reports of VRE from device-associated infections, such as central-line associated bloodstream infections.

CDC works with healthcare facilities and state and local health departments to control outbreaks of resistant germs like VRE and to help devise and implement prevention strategies for facilities with high numbers of VRE infections. Skip directly to site content Skip directly to page options Skip directly to A-Z link.

This is either directly from the hands of another person or indirectly from environmental surfaces or medical equipment that have become contaminated. The symptoms that develop with VRE infection are the ones you would get with any other bacterial infection such as:.

In some cases VRE can enter the bloodstream, from either an existing infection such as an abscess or urinary tract infection or from a medical device such as a urinary catheter or intravenous catheter. Symptoms of bloodstream infection are also not specific to VRE and can be the same as for other bacteria.

Typically, signs and symptoms can include fever, shivering, and low blood pressure. People carrying VRE in their bowel or other body sites show no signs or symptoms and it is impossible to tell if a person has VRE by looking at them. If infection is suspected then a doctor will take a swab or specimen of, for example, blood, or wound, or urine or sputum and send it to the laboratory for testing.

People colonised with VRE do not need to have any treatment or antibiotics. If VRE is found in a specimen taken from you while you are in hospital, your healthcare team will continue to provide the same level of care.

However, some extra precautions will be taken:. Your family and friends can visit you but to prevent the spread of VRE to other patients or the environment, it is important that all visitors:. Good hand hygiene will help prevent your family and friends from getting VRE. You should always perform hand hygiene by washing your hands with soap and water:.

VRE can survive for long periods on environmental surfaces, for example toilets, table tops and chairs, so it is important to regularly clean your household. Your clothing can be washed in the usual manner, along with the rest of the household laundry. If you go to another healthcare facility, visit another doctor or have home care services, you should tell them that you have a VRE.

Early detection of people who carry VRE is essential to stop any spread. If someone has a history of being in a hospital or residential care facility outside of WA in the last 12 months, a specimen to screen for VRE either a stool sample or a rectal swab will be taken from them when they are admitted to hospital.

This publication is provided for education and information purposes only. It is not a substitute for professional medical care. Information about a therapy, service, product or treatment does not imply endorsement and is not intended to replace advice from your healthcare professional. Serious VRE infections usually occur in hospitalized patients with serious underlying illnesses such as cancer, blood disorders, kidney disease or immune deficiencies.

People in good health are not at risk of infection, but health care workers may play a role in transmitting the organism, if careful hand washing and other infection control precautions are not practiced. VRE is usually spread by direct contact with hands, environmental surfaces or medical equipment that has been contaminated by the feces of an infected person. When providing care in a private home, hospital or nursing home, health care workers should use disposable gloves and wash their hands with soap after caring for a person with VRE.

A disposable gown should also be used if the type of care involves washing or turning the patient, or changing diapers. Routine cleaning of bed rails, toilets and commodes with a bleach solution or hospital-grade disinfectant is also important. In the hospital setting, equipment such as rectal thermometers and blood pressure cuffs should be assigned solely to the infected patient. Standard precautions including hand washing and gloving should be followed. Otherwise, healthy household members are not at risk of VRE infection.

Dishes and utensils can be washed in a dishwasher or with warm soapy water and rinsed.