First outbreak of linezolid-resistant vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus faecium in an Irish hospital, February to September 2014

SummaryAn outbreak of linezolid-resistant vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus faecium (LRVREfm) occurred in the hepatology ward of a tertiary referral hospital in Ireland between February and September 2014. LRVREfm was isolated from 15 patients; pulsed-field gel electrophoresis confirmed spread of a single clone. This is the first report of an outbreak of linezolid-resistant vancomycin-resistant enterococcus in Ireland.