vancomycin-resistant enterococcus

noun

Definition of vancomycin-resistant enterococcus

:any of several enterococci (such as Enterococcus faecalis and E. faecium) that are resistant to vancomycin and other commonly used antibiotics (such as cephalosporin and tetracycline) and are typically benign colonizers of the gastrointestinal tract and female genital tract but may cause severe infections (as of the urinary tract or bloodstream) especially in hospitalized patients with weakened immune systems and in individuals who are on long-term regimens of antibiotics

Note: Vancomycin-resistant enterococci are usually spread by direct contact with contaminated hands, surfaces, or medical equipment.

—abbreviation VRE

First Known Use of vancomycin-resistant enterococcus

1988

Medical Dictionary

vancomycin-resistant enterococcus

noun

medical Definition of vancomycin-resistant enterococcus

:any of several bacteria of the genus Enterococcus (as E. faecalis and E. faecium) that are resistant to vancomycin and other commonly used antibiotics (as cephalosporin, trimethoprim, and tetracycline) and that are typically benign colonizers of the gastrointestinal tract and female genital tract but may cause severe infections (as of the urinary tract, bloodstream, or surgical wounds) especially in hospitalized patients with weakened immune systems and in individuals who are on long-term regimens of antibiotics

Note: Vancomycin-resistant enterococci are usually spread by direct contact with contaminated hands (as of a caregiver or heath-care worker), or contaminated surfaces or medical equipment.

—abbreviation VRE