Version 2.78

Descriptions

A genus of gram-positive, coccoid bacteria consisting of organisms causing variable hemolysis that are normal flora of the intestinal tract. Previously thought to be a member of the genus Streptococcus, it is now recognized as a separate genus. Source: National Library of Medicine, MeSH 2006

Enterococcus is a genus of lactic acid bacteria of the phylum Firmicutes. Enterococci are Gram-positive cocci that often occur in pairs (diplococci) or short chains, and are difficult to distinguish from streptococci on physical characteristics alone.Two species are common commensal organisms in the intestines of humans: E. faecalis (90-95%) and E. faecium (5-10%). Rare clusters of infections occur with other species, including E. casseliflavus, E. gallinarum, and E. raffinosus.

Important clinical infections caused by Enterococcus include urinary tract infections, bacteremia, bacterial endocarditis, diverticulitis, and meningitis.Sensitive strains of these bacteria can be treated with ampicillin and vancomycin.

From a medical standpoint, an important feature of this genus is the high level of intrinsic antibiotic resistance. Some enterococci are intrinsically resistant to β-lactam-based antibiotics (penicillins,cephalosporins,carbapenems), as well as many aminoglycosides. In the last two decades, particularly virulent strains of Enterococcus that are resistant to vancomycin (vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus, or VRE) have emerged in nosocomial infections of hospitalized patients, especially in the US. Other developed countries, such as the UK, have been spared this epidemic, and, in 2005, Singapore managed to halt an epidemic of VRE.[citation needed] VRE may be treated with quinupristin/dalfopristin (Synercid) with response rates of approximately 70%. Tigecycline has also been shown to have anti-enterococcal activity as has rifampicin.

Enterococcal meningitis is a rare complication of neurosurgery. It often requires treatment with intravenous or intrathecal vancomycin, yet it is debatable as to whether its use has any impact on outcome: the removal of any neurological devices is a crucial part of the management of these infections. New epidemiological evidence has shown that enterococci are major infectious agent in chronic bacterial prostatitis. Enterococci are able to form biofilm in the prostate gland making their eradication difficult. Copyright Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License. See http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/ for details. Source: Wikipedia, Wikipedia

Basic Part Properties

Part Display Name
Enterococcus sp
Part Type
Component (Describes the core component or analyte measured)
Created On
2000-05-04
Construct for LOINC Short Name
Enterococ

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Language Variants Get Info

Tag Language Translation
zh-CN Chinese (China) 肠球菌属单个未知种
Synonyms: 肠球菌;肠球菌单个未知种
fr-CA French (Canada) Enterococcus sp
et-EE Estonian (Estonia) Enterococcus sp
es-ES Spanish (Spain) Enterococcus sp
it-IT Italian (Italy) Enterococcus sp
tr-TR Turkish (Turkey) Enterococcus sp
ru-RU Russian (Russian Federation) Enterococcus sp
nl-NL Dutch (Netherlands) Enterococcus sp.
fr-BE French (Belgium) Enterococcus sp