Definition:
Enterococci are in the genus of lactic acid bacteria and in the phylum of firmicutes. They are Gram positive cocci and often are found as diplococci (in pairs.) They are facultative anaerobes.

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Pathology:
Some of the diseases caused by Enterococci are urinary tract infections, bacterial endocarditis, meningitis, bacteremia, and diverticulitis.
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Enterococci Species:
Enterococcus faecalis-
~Gram positive, commensal bacteria
~Lives in the GI tracts of mammals, including humans
~Is a huge part of probiotics, but can cause life threatening infections, mainly nosocomial infections. It has a very high resistance to antibiotic.
~Non-motile microorganism
~Facultative anaerobe
~Ferments glucose w/out gas production
~Catalase negative
~Gamma hemolysis


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Enterococcus faecium-
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Enterococcus durans-

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Enterococci In the News:














This is a video of an Endopthalmitis infection of the eye, caused by Enterococcus.
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Article from the Vancouver Sun newspaper:
Patients at St. Joseph's Hospital have tested positive for the "superbug" Vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus, or VRE, prompting hospital staff to step up measures to wipe out the bacteria.Called a superbug because of its resistance to common antibiotics, VRE is a cluster of normally benign bacterium found in the bowels.However, if left unchecked, the bacteria can cause infection in people with low immunity."It's still a theoretical risk at this point because we haven't seen (the bacteria cause infection), but we don't want to see it," said Toby Krell, manager of infection prevention and control at the hospital.Michael Pontus, the hospital's chief executive and president, said more than 10 patients tested positive as carriers of the bacteria late last year, a first for the hospital.After increased efforts to isolate patients and sanitize surfaces that may have come into contact with the bacteria, he said the number of carriers had been reduced to "around five or so."Krell said carriers often didn't show symptoms of VRE, but the danger was it could be passed on to someone susceptible to infection."So if somebody for example just had surgery there's more of a risk to that person, not necessarily to the person carrying it," she said.Pontus stressed the hospital was not treating patients who had been infected by the bacteria - the real danger when it comes to VRE as it is resistant to common antibiotics.Instead, he said, staff was focusing on limiting the bacteria's spread to the point of eradicating it from the hospital completely."It dissipates, we're told, when people go back to their home environment," he said.To ensure the bacteria did not spread from patient to patient, Pontus said staff had undertaken a sanitization blitz coupled with an increase in monitoring for traces of the bacteria through swab testingThe main target, he said, was the hospital's medical care area - a 35-bed unit for acute and chronic care patients who did not require surgery."We're not sure exactly where the source was but we've cleaned everything associated with anyone that had the positive test," he said.Krell said VRE was spread through fecal matter and public toilets."People pick it up and live with it for a short period of time and then their body is re-colonized with normal flora," she said.She said the public shouldn't be in a panic about VRE, but should minimize any risk by practising good hygiene and frequent hand washing."There is more of (the VRE bacteria) on Vancouver Island. There's more of it in the population in general but we also might be finding more of it because we're screening more for it," she said.