Rapid monitoring of vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus faecium in hospital departments by repetitive element palindromic polymerase chain reaction.

Background: The current increase in nosocomial infections caused by vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE) warrants improvement of detection methods and hygiene measures. Knowledge of the local epidemiology is important for monitoring compliance of medical personnel with hygiene measures.

Aim: To evaluate semi-automated repetitive element palindromic polymerase chain reaction (rep-PCR) for rapid molecular typing of VRE.