Lack of efficacy of oral bacitracin plus doxycycline for the eradication of stool colonization with vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus faecium

Abstract

In a prospective observational cohort study designed to assess the role of oral bacitracin solution plus doxycycline in the eradication of intestinal carriage of vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus faecium (VREF) in patients on a renal ward, rectal swab specimens were obtained from 15 treated and 24 control patients. Cultures of the rectal swabs were negative for 15 (100%) of the antibiotic-treated vs. eight (33.3%) of the untreated patients (P