Introduction and clonal spread of vanB Enterococcus faecium in Copenhagen, Denmark, and development of a rapid and accurate clone specific vanB E. faecium PCR

In 2018-2019, an increase of vanB vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus faecium (VREfm) was observed in the Capital Region of Denmark. vanA/vanB PCR is accurate in detection of vanA; however, the positive predictive value for vanB+ samples are low, because of the presence of vanB in non-enterococcal gut commensals. The aims of the study were to investigate the epidemiology and clonal relatedness of vanB VREfm from 2015-2019, and to develop a clone-specific vanB VREfm PCR for rapid and accurate detection of vanB VREfm in rectal screening samples.