37 In Europe, the situation is heterogeneous, as shown by the EARSS network data (Figure 2).30 Three countries reported resistance rates above 25% (Ireland, Luxembourg, and Greece) and five countries reported resistant rates between 10 and 25%, whereas the majority of countries (18 of 26) reported resistant rates below 10%; rates below 1% were reported from Ipilimumab in vivo seven countries (Bulgaria, Estonia, Finland, France, Norway, Romania, and Sweden). From 2005 to 2009, a significant decrease in vancomycin resistance was observed in France (from 2 to 0.8%),38 Greece
(from 37 to 27%), and Italy (from 19 to 4%). Greece, in particular, has managed to downsize the very high levels of vancomycin resistance, but still has higher resistance levels than most of the other countries under surveillance. The prohibition of glycopeptides’
derivatives use as growth promoters in animals in Europe since 1997 and the moderate use of vancomycin (particularly as oral formulation) in human medicine in Europe have protected France from VRE high endemic emergence, as only few cases of colonization were reported. However, GSK126 supplier since 2004, several outbreaks have been reported in French healthcare facilities.13,14 This emergence seems unpredictable and all institutions may be affected. The rapid implementation of infection control measures, such as outlined in the French guideline published in 2010, remains a key factor to controlling
a sporadic case, before a major outbreak occurs.39,40 The VRE prevalence is actually changing in some European countries, Interleukin-3 receptor and the risk to move from a sporadic to an endemic situation is real in France from repatriated French people or foreign travelers requiring hospital care. The worldwide spread of multidrug-resistant A baumannii seems different from other pathogens. It is a saprophytic bacteria that lives mainly in the environment and its epidemiology varies from one country to another and from one institution to another.41 The species A baumannii is naturally resistant to many antibiotics. Moreover, strains have acquired additional resistance mechanisms using hospital antibiotic selective pressure. Some strains are pan-resistant to all available antibiotics, exposing patients to therapeutic failures, particularly when resistance to imipenem is present. Acinetobacter baumannii often affects patients in intensive-care unit and spreads mostly by cross-transmission, with environmental reservoirs often playing a major role. A multidrug-resistant A baumannii epidemic spread in non-ICU area is possible, as it has been observed in several hospitals in Northern France in 2005.15 Thus, Acinetobacter is an old friend but a new enemy.42 A large number of European countries have reported outbreaks of imipenem-resistant A baumannii.