Members of the genus Enterococcus are normal residents of the gastrointestinal and biliary tracts^1,2. Enterococci have become significant agents of human disease, largely because of their evolving resistance to antimicrobial agents. VRE surveillance-screening has been found to facilitate earlier identification of colonized patients leading to more efficient containment of the organism. Timely identification of VRE is improved with the use of the primary isolation medium for surveillance cultures.

Sahm et al. demonstrated that Bile Esculin Azide Agar with 6µg/mL Vancomycin provides for rapid presumptive identification of VRE³.

• Selective: selective agents sodium azide and 1% oxgall are inhibitory to Gram-negative bacilli and most Gram-positive bacteria other than group D streptococci while vancomycin (6µg/mL) selects for resistant strains of enterococci.
• Easy-to-read: vancomycin-resistant enterococci are easy to read due to brown-black complex surrounding the colonies
• Ready-to-use: convenience of prepared media.

Esculin in the medium allows for early recognition of presumptive enterococcal isolates, selective agents inhibit the growth of most commensal microbial flora, and vancomycin provides additional selectivity against vancomycin-sensitive and other Gram-positive organisms.

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