7.5 Enterococcus faecium and E. faecalis

Figure 18 The genus Enterococcus is composed of Gram-positive cocci that form pairs or short chains and can be difficult to distinguish from streptococci

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An image of Enterococcus.

Figure 18 The genus Enterococcus is composed of Gram-positive cocci that form pairs or short chains and can be difficult to distinguish ...

The enterococci are part of the normal intestinal flora of humans and animals. E. faecalis and E. faecium are the most common species isolated from human infections and are among the most important causes of nosocomial infections due to their ability to survive in the hospital environment and their resistance to many antimicrobials.

In farm animals, enterococci are sporadically isolated from cases of bovine mastitis, septicaemia and internal organ infections in newborn farmed ruminants and poultry. E. faecium and E. faecalis are associated with MDR and the two species are widely used as indicators of antimicrobial resistance in production animals.