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enterococcus

Enterococci

Introduction

  • enterococci belong to the Enterococcaceae family which belongs to the Lactobacillales
  • it is a large genus of lactic acid Gram positive cocci bacteria that often occur as diplococci or in short chains and can be difficult to distinguish from streptococcus / streptococcal infections
  • they survive very harsh environments including 60degC for 30minutes and resist most detergents and alcohol and can survive dessication
  • some were classified as group D Streptococcus until 1984
  • appears to have evolved 425mya to 500mya
  • often used as the best marker of water contamination by sewage - eg. at beaches

Enterococcus faecalis

  • Enterococcus faecalis formerly known as Streptococcus faecalis
  • found in faeces of most healthy people
  • may cause invasive infections when they possess virulence factors:
  • recently evidence suggests patients with invasive infections have relatively high rates of occult colorectal cancer (bowel cancer) suggesting colonoscopy may be indicated especially if no source of infection is found
  • antibiotic resistance is increasingly problematic:
    • vancomycin resistant enterococci (VRE) is a major problem in hospitals
enterococcus.txt · Last modified: 2019/06/27 03:33 by 127.0.0.1

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