Enterococcus

Enterococci form the natural microflora in the intestine and vagina. They are very resistant to high pH (8.5) and temperatures. They are highly resistant to antibiotics.
 * Morphology: G + cocci in pairs or chains.
 * Occurrence: part of the natural microflora in the human gut.
 * Cultivation: not demanding on cultivation.
 * Collection of material: for diagnosis, clinical material is collected from gynecological swabs, urine or blood culture.

Diseases
Enterococci are among the conditional pathogens. They cause urinary and biliary tract infections, gynecological inflammations, postoperative complications in abdominal surgery and are involved in the development of infectious endocarditis.

Therapy: antibiotics, resistance increases especially in nosocomial strains.

Diagnostic procedure
Swabs, urine, blood culture.
 * Material


 * Identification
 * Microscopy: G+ cocci.
 * Cultivation: BA - gray colonies (possibility of α, β or γ hemolysis), SB - violet-brown colonies.
 * Tests: negative catalase test.

Wall antigen detection (group D).
 * Serological methods

Representatives
Enterococcus durans, Enterococcus faecalis, Enterococcus faecium

Summary video
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4rZ_bMY_oPk

Related articles

 * Infectious endocarditis
 * Urinary tract infections