ENTEROCOCCUS INFECTIONS

Course overview

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 UTI, BACTEREMIA, AND INFECTIVE ENDOCARDITIS AND RARELY CAUSE INTRA-ABDOMINAL INFECTIONS AND MENINGITIS. THEY HAVE INTRINSIC RESISTANCE TO SOME ANTIBIOTICS AND ACQUIRE AND TRANSFER RESISTANCE TO OTHER BACTERIA VIA MOBILE GENETIC ELEMENTS. THEIR DETECTION IS AIDED BY CONVENTIONAL GRAM STAIN AND CULTURES AND NEWER TECHNIQUES LIKE MALDI-TOF, NAAT, AND PCR. ANTIBIOTIC SENSITIVITIES SHOULD BE OBTAINED EARLY ON TO HELP PHYSICIANS FORMULATE TREATMENT PLANS. TO AVOID THE HIGH MORBIDITY AND MORTALITY ASSOCIATED WITH THIS CONDITION, IT MUST BE PROMPTLY DIAGNOSED AND TREATED. THIS ACTIVITY REVIEWS THE EVALUATION AND TREATMENT OF ENTEROCOCCAL INFECTIONS AND HIGHLIGHTS THE ROLE OF THE INTERPROFESSIONAL TEAM IN PREVENTING THE HOSPITAL-RELATED SPREAD OF ENTEROCOCCI, ESPECIALLY VRE.