Fecal colonization with vancomycin-resistant enterococci in Australia.

To assess the rate of fecal vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE) colon ization in Austalia, we examined specimens from 1,085 healthy volunteers. VRE was cultured from 2(0.2%) of 1,085 specimens; both were vanB Enter ococcus faecium, identical by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis, but with a pattern rare in Melbourne hospitals.