State-Wide Genomic and Epidemiological Analyses of VREfm in Tasmania's Public Hospitals

Enterococci are a major cause of healthcare-associated infections in patients globally. Due to a variety of inherent antibiotic resistances, vancomycin is a primary antibiotic for enterococcal infection treatment. However, Australia exhibits one of the highest rates of vancomycin resistance in clinical isolates of Enterococcus faecium internationally. In this study, we performed a state-wide analysis at Tasmania’s four public acute hospitals to better understand the rise in vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus faecium (VREfm) in the state since 2015.