Lab Guide
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Test ID: Screening Culture
Screening Culture (VRE)
Useful For

Identifying carriers of Vancomycin-Resistant Enterococci

Method name and description

Conventional Culture Technique

Reporting name

Screening Culture

Clinical information

Enterococci are facultative anaerobic gram-positive cocci in pairs/chains that live in the gastrointestinal (GI) tract and ordinarily function commensally with humans. However, they can cause a variety of infections, most commonly urinary tract infection (UTI), intraabdominal infection, bacteremia, or endocarditis. Rarely, they can cause meningitis, osteomyelitis, septic arthritis, or pneumonia. Additionally, vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus often exists as a colonizing organism that does not always contribute to infection, making it more difficult to determine when and how to treat these infections. Despite these difficulties, infection of vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus has been shown to increase both cost and mortality when compared to vancomycin-susceptible isolates. With increasing rates of vancomycin resistance among Enterococcus isolates, good stewardship combined with aggressive treatment with targeted antibiotics is necessary to treat this frequently encountered infection.

Aliases
  • Screening Culture
  • C Screening
  • VRE Screening culture
  • Culture screening VRE

 

Specimen type / Specimen volume / Specimen container

Specimen type: Rectal swab

Specimen container: Amies transport medium

Collection instructions / Special Precautions / Timing of collection

A saline moistened swab rotated in the rectum of the patient placed in Amies transport medium. (Rectal swab should have faecal material)

Swabs placed in Amies transport medium in a sealed plastic bag (biohazard bag) and forwarded promptly at ambient temperature. 

Upon Doctor's request

Relevant clinical information to be provided
  • Patient clinical condition
  • Antimicrobial therapy

 

Storage and transport instructions

<2 hrs. at room temperature

Specimen Rejection Criteria
  • Improper container
  • Unlabeled/Mislabeled specimen

 

Biological reference intervals and clinical decision values

Culture:

Negative: “No Vancomycin-Resistant enterococci isolated”

Positive: “Vancomycin-Resistant enterococci isolated” (VRE)

Susceptibility report: Vancomycin 

Factors affecting test performance and result interpretation
  • Improper collection
  • Improper technique

 

Turnaround time / Days and times test performed / Specimen retention time

Culture: 48-72 hrs.

24 Hrs./ 7days a week (7 AM to 3 PM)

48 Hrs. after final report