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Which Enterococcus bacteria cause clinical infections in humans?
Are Enterococcus faecalis Gram positive?
What types of infections can enterococcal species cause?
What infections are caused by Enterococcus faecalis?
May 28, 2023 · Enterococcal infections are caused by bacteria that live in your intestines, mouth, and vagina. They can lead to urinary tract, wound, bloodstream, and heart infections that are hard to treat with antibiotics.
Apr 20, 2021 · Enterococci are Gram-positive facultative anaerobic cocci in short and medium chains, which cause difficult-to-treat infections in the nosocomial setting. They are a common cause of UTIs, bacteremia, and infective endocarditis and rarely cause intra-abdominal infections and meningitis.
- Mina S. Said, Ekta Tirthani, Emil Lesho
- 2022/05/02
- Overview
- What causes these infections?
- Symptoms of E. faecalis infections
- Treatments for E. faecalis infections
- Preventing infections
- Outlook
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Enterococcus faecalis is a species of bacteria that is naturally found in the intestines. While it tends to be harmless in that environment, it has the potential to cause a serious infection if it spreads to other areas of the body.
Enterococci are a type of bacteria that live in your gastrointestinal (GI) tract. There are at least 18 different species of these bacteria. Enterococcus faecalis (E. faecalis) is one of the most common species.
These bacteria also live in the mouth and vagina. They’re very resilient, so they can survive in hot, salty, or acidic environments.
E. faecalis normally lives harmlessly in your intestines. However, if it spreads to other parts of your body, it can cause a more serious infection.
The bacteria can get into your blood, urine, or a wound during surgery. From there, it can spread to different sites, causing more serious infections, including sepsis, endocarditis, and meningitis.
E. faecalis bacteria don’t usually cause problems in healthy people. But people with underlying health conditions or a weakened immune system are more likely to get sick. These infections often spread in hospitals.
E. faecalis infections pass from person to person due to poor hygiene. Because these bacteria are found in feces, people can transmit the infection if they don’t wash their hands after using the bathroom.
The bacteria can get into food or onto surfaces such as doorknobs, telephones, and computer keyboards. From there, they can spread to other people.
E. faecalis often spreads through hospitals if healthcare workers don’t wash their hands. Improperly cleaned catheters, dialysis ports, and other medical devices can also carry E. faecalis.
Thus, people who have an organ transplant, kidney dialysis, or cancer treatment are at increased risk for developing infections due to immune suppression or contamination through their catheters.
Symptoms depend on which type of infection you have. They can include:
•fever
•chills
•fatigue
•headache
•abdominal pain
E. faecalis infections are treated with antibiotics. One challenge is that these bacteria have become resistant to many types of antibiotics. This means that some antibiotics no longer work against these bacteria.
To make sure you get the right antibiotic, your doctor might take a sample of the bacteria. That sample will be tested in a lab to see which antibiotic works best against it.
Ampicillin is the preferred antibiotic used to treat E. faecalis infections.
Other antibiotic options include:
•daptomycin
•gentamicin
To prevent E. faecalis infections:
•Wash your hands with warm water and soap throughout the day. Always wash after you use the bathroom and before you prepare or eat food. If you don’t have access to soap and water, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer.
•Don’t share personal items with anyone — especially people you know are sick. This includes forks and spoons, toothbrushes, or towels.
•Wipe down shared items like TV remotes, doorknobs, and telephones with an antibacterial disinfectant.
•When you’re in the hospital, make sure healthcare workers wash their hands or wear clean gloves when they care for you.
•Ask that all thermometers, blood pressure cuffs, catheters, IVs, and other devices that are used in your treatment be disinfected.
E. faecalis has become resistant to many types of antibiotics. Antibiotic-resistant infections are harder to treat. People who get infected when they are already sick have a poorer outlook.
Practicing good hygiene can help prevent E. faecalis infections.
Enterococcus faecalis is a type of bacteria that normally lives in the intestines but can cause serious infections if it spreads to other parts of the body. Learn about the risk factors, signs, and antibiotic options for E. faecalis infections, which are often resistant to many drugs.
Aug 25, 2022 · Learn about the antimicrobial agents and treatment approaches for enterococcal infections, which can cause urinary tract, bloodstream, endocarditis, and meningitis. Find out how to distinguish E. faecalis and E. faecium, and how to deal with resistance and beta-lactamase production.
Jul 3, 2023 · Learn about enterococcus faecalis, a type of bacteria that can cause infections in the urinary tract, blood, heart, and other parts of the body. Find out how it is transmitted, diagnosed, and treated, and what are the risk factors and complications.
Learn about enterococci, gram-positive bacteria that cause various infections, especially urinary tract and endocarditis. Find out how to treat them and deal with resistance to multiple antimicrobials.
Enterococcus is a large genus of lactic acid bacteria of the phylum Bacillota. Enterococci are gram-positive cocci that often occur in pairs or short chains, and are difficult to distinguish from streptococci on physical characteristics alone.
