Screening specimens for vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus

We used bile esculin azide (BEA) agar supplemented with 10 mu g/mL of vancomycin to screen 425 stool and rectal swab cultures for vancomycin-resistant enterococcus (VRE). We isolated 85 VRE during the surveillance period, Gram-negative flora were inhibited by sodium azide in the medium, which facilitated the detection of colonies of VRE. Enterococci are differentiated easily on BEA agar owing to esculin hydrolysis, which changes the color of the medium from pale yellow to black. The use of BEA agar With vancomycin combines differential and selective properties to rapidly isolate VRE from heavily contaminated specimens. The process involves significantly less time and resources when compared with conventional methods.