Previous antibiotic therapy as independent risk factor for the presence of vancomycin-resistant enterococci in surgical inpatients. Results from a matched case-control study.

Background: Investigation of risk factors for the presence of vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE) in inpatients on surgical wards and associated intensive care units of a German tertiary care hospital.

Methods: A single-centre retrospective matched case-control study was performed with surgical inpatients admitted between July 2013 and December 2016. Patients with in-hospital detection of VRE later than 48 h after admission were included and comprised 116 VRE-positive cases and 116 VRE-negative matched controls.