Enterococcal Infections: Recent Nomenclature and emerging trends

Abstract

Enterococci are an emerging infectious threat both in the community and in the hospital, being hardy survivors, acquiring antibiotic resistance rapidly. This chapter will describe the evolution of enterococci from being rarely encountered pathogens to being a formidable pathogen in the modern era of multiple devices, complicated surgery and immunosuppression. Enterococci have been moved from the genus streptococci to the genus enterococcus based on genomic characteristics that make them different from streptococci. Several genotyping methods have been evolved for tracking them as they are major hospital acquired pathogens. They cause myriad infections like infective endocarditis, wound infections, urinary tract infections and surgical site infections. They are capable of biofilm formation that causes persistence at the site of infection. E. faecalis and E. faecium are the most common isolates and they are acquiring Vancomycin resistance at a rapid rate. While reporting susceptibility to antibiotics, Clinical Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI) standards have to be followed.