Germs of thrones - spontaneous decolonization of Carbapenem-Resistant Enterobacteriaceae (CRE) and Vancomycin-Resistant Enterococci (VRE) in Western Europe: is this myth or reality?

Background In France, Carbapenem-Resistant Enterobacteriaceae (CRE) and Vancomycin-Resistant Enterococci (VRE) are considered as Extensively Drug-Resistant (XDR) bacteria. Their management requires reinforcement of hospital’s hygiene policies, and currently there is few consistent data concerning the spontaneous decolonization in XDR colonized patients. Our aim is to study the natural history of decolonization of XDR carriers over time in a hospital setting in a low prevalence country. Material and methods Retrospective multicenter study over 2 years (2015–2016) in 2 different tertiary care hospital sites and units having an agreement for permanent cohorting of such XDR carriers. We gathered the type of microorganisms, risk factors for colonization and rectal swabs from patient’s follow-up. We also evaluated patient care considering isolation precautions. Results We included 125 patients, aged 63+/−19y, including 72.8% of CRE ( n = 91), 24.8% of VRE ( n = 31) and 2.4% ( n = 3) co-colonized with CRE and VRE. CRE were mainly E. coli ( n = 54), K. pneumoniae ( n = 51) and E. cloacae ( n = 6). Mechanisms of resistance were mainly OXA-48 ( n = 69), NDM-1 ( n = 11), OXA-232 ( n = 8) and KPC ( n = 3). Prior antibiotic therapy was reported in 38.4% ( n = 48) of cases. Conversely, 17.6% ( n = 22) received antibiotics during follow-up. Spontaneous decolonization occurred within the first 30 days in 16.4% ( n = 19/116) of cases and up to 48.2% after day-90 with a median follow-up of 96 days (0–974). We estimated that XDR carriage was associated with a larger care burden in 13.6% ( n = 17) of cases, especially due to a prolongation of hospitalization of 32.5 days (15–300). Conclusions Our study shows that spontaneous decolonization is increasing over time (up to 48.2%). We can regret that only few patients underwent screening after 1 year, emphasizing the need for more monitoring and prospective studies.