Comparison of Seeplex VRE detection kit with ChromID VRE agar for detection of vancomycin-resistant enterococci in rectal swab specimens.

The performance of the recently developed Seeplex VRE detection kit was compared with chromID VRE agar and the conventional blood agar plate with vancomycin disk (BAP-VA) for detection of vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE) from 180 rectal swab specimens. After 18 hr enrichment in enterococcosel broth (EB), the sensitivity and specificity for detection of vancomycin-resistant E. faecium were as follows: Seeplex VRE detection kit, 92.5% and 98.9%; chromID VRE agar, 92.5% and 97.8%; BAP-VA, 77.5% and 70.3%, respectively. The reporting times averaged 2, 3.4, and 3.6 days, respectively. The Seeplex VRE detection kit and chromID VRE agar were comparable and were superior to BAP-VA. Unexpectedly, 15.7% of VRE were vanA-positive Enterococcus species other than E. faecium and E. faecalis. Vigilance is suggested to see if these species eventually emerge as significant pathogens.