These infections can occur anywhere in the body. Some common sites include the intestines, the urinary tract, and wounds. Vancomycin-resistant enterococci infections are treated with antibiotics, which are the types of medicines normally used to kill bacteria.
VRE infections are more difficult to treat than other infections with enterococci, because fewer antibiotics can kill the bacteria. VRE, like many bacteria, can be spread from one person to another through casual contact or through contaminated objects. Most often, VRE infections are spread from the hands of health care workers to a patient in a hospital or other facility such as a nursing home. VRE infections are not usually spread through the air like the common cold or flu virus unless you have VRE pneumonia and are coughing, which is rare.
If you are healthy, your chances of getting a VRE infection are very low. VRE infections typically only occur among people who have weakened immune systems , such as people who have long-term illnesses or people who have had major surgery or other medical procedures and have been treated with multiple antibiotics. Experts do not know exactly why some people become infected with VRE and others do not.
But they do know that VRE infections are more likely to develop when antibiotics such as vancomycin are used often. If you take antibiotics when you do not need them, they may not work when you do need them. Each time you take antibiotics, you are more likely to have some bacteria that the medicine does not kill. These bacteria can change mutate so they are harder to kill. Then, the antibiotics that used to kill them no longer work.
These bacteria are called antibiotic-resistant bacteria. The symptoms of a VRE infection depend on where the infection is. If VRE are causing a wound infection, that area of your skin may be red or tender. If you have a urinary tract infection , you may have back pain, a burning sensation when you urinate, or a need to urinate more often than usual. Some people with VRE infections have diarrhea, feel weak and sick, or have fever and chills.
If your doctor suspects that you are infected with VRE, he or she will send a sample of your infected wound, blood, urine, or stool to a lab. The lab will grow the bacteria and then test to see which kinds of antibiotics kill the bacteria. This test may take several days. If you get a serious infection with VRE, you may be isolated in a private hospital room to reduce the chances of spreading the bacteria to others. When your doctors and nurses are caring for you, they may use extra precautions such as wearing gloves and gowns.
VRE infections may be difficult to cure because the bacteria do not respond to many antibiotics. The doctor takes a sample of blood, urine, pus, or other fluid from the infected area. The sample is sent to a lab to be tested for VRE. Your doctor can take a culture of the bacteria and have it tested in a laboratory to see which antibiotic might work best.
Healthcare workers can prevent VRE by keeping all surfaces and medical equipment sanitized. They should wash their hands with soap and water before working with each new patient.
They should also wear disposable gloves. You can also prevent VRE by practicing good hygiene if someone in your home is infected. Follow these tips:. If you have a catheter, get it removed as soon as you no longer need it. The longer it stays in your body, the greater your risk of infection becomes.
If you do have VRE, you can help prevent transmission to others by letting your doctor know. Hospitals can use special precautions to help prevent the infection from spreading to other patients. Your outlook depends on what type of infection you have and your health in general. However, other antibiotics can treat the infection. Find an overview of enterococcus faecalis, a type of bacterial infection, and learn about its causes and symptoms. Neutropenic precautions are steps you can take to avoid infection during this time.
Learn about potential causes of vaginal itch during your period, such as irritation, yeast infection, bacterial vaginosis, and trichomoniasis. Superbug is another name for bacteria or fungi that have developed the ability to resist commonly prescribed medications. How can you avoid getting an infection? If you or someone in your household has VRE, you can protect yourself by: keeping your hands clean to avoid getting sick and spreading germs that can cause infections patients and their caregivers should wash their hands with soap and water or use alcohol-based hand sanitizer, particularly: after using the bathroom before and after handling medical devices or caring for wounds before preparing food frequently cleaning areas of the home, such as bathrooms, that may become contaminated with VRE wearing gloves if hands may come in contact with body fluids that may contain VRE, such as stool poop or bandages from infected wounds Always wash your hands after removing gloves.
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