Rapid detection of Van genes in rectal swabs by real time PCR in Southern Brazil

Laboratory-based surveillance is an important component in the control of vancomycin resistant enterococci (VRE). The study aimed to evaluate real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) (genes vanA-vanB) for VRE detection on 115 swabs from patients included in a surveillance program. Sensitivity of RT-PCR was similar to primary culture (75% and 79.5%, respectively) when compared to broth enriched culture, whereas specificity was 83.1%. RT-PCR provides same day results, however it showed low sensitivity for VRE detection.