Novel Chromogenic Medium for Detection of Vancomycin-Resistant Enterococcus faecium and Enterococcus faecalis▿

Abstract

Vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE) are becoming widespread worldwide, and the rapid identification of VRE carriers from surveillance cultures is crucial for the efficient control of their spread. We assessed a new selective chromogenic medium, chromID VRE (bioMérieux, France), that enhanced the isolation and presumptive identification of VRE directly from rectal swabs and reduced unnecessary confirmatory and time-consuming tests