vancomycin-resistant enterococcus

noun

: any of several enterococci (such as Enterococcus faecalis and E. faecium) that are resistant to vancomycin and other commonly used antibiotics (such as cephalosporin and tetracycline) and are typically benign colonizers of the gastrointestinal tract and female genital tract but may cause severe infections (as of the urinary tract or bloodstream) especially in hospitalized patients with weakened immune systems and in individuals who are on long-term regimens of antibiotics

Note: Vancomycin-resistant enterococci are usually spread by direct contact with contaminated hands, surfaces, or medical equipment.

—abbreviation VRE

Examples of vancomycin-resistant enterococcus in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

But some enterococcus strains have evolved into a virulent form, called vancomycin-resistant enterococcus, or VRE, that affects more than 540,000 Americans every year. —Wired, 9 Dec. 2019

Word History

First Known Use

1988, in the meaning defined above

Medical Definition

vancomycin-resistant enterococcus

noun

: any of several bacteria of the genus Enterococcus (as E. faecalis and E. faecium) that are resistant to vancomycin and other commonly used antibiotics (as cephalosporin, trimethoprim, and tetracycline) and that are typically benign colonizers of the gastrointestinal tract and female genital tract but may cause severe infections (as of the urinary tract, bloodstream, or surgical wounds) especially in hospitalized patients with weakened immune systems and in individuals who are on long-term regimens of antibiotics

Note: Vancomycin-resistant enterococci are usually spread by direct contact with contaminated hands (as of a caregiver or heath-care worker), or contaminated surfaces or medical equipment.

—abbreviation VRE