enterococcus
(ent‵ĕ-rō-kok'ŭs, ent‵ĕ-rō-kok'sī‵)
Plural: enterococci
[entero- + coccus]
Any bacterium of the genus Enterococcus.
enterococcal,
(ent‵ĕ-rō-kok'ăl)
adj.ABBR: VRE
A strain of Enterococcus faecium resistant to antibiotics, including penicillins, aminoglycosides, and vancomycin. Infection with VRE presents a major threat to infected patients. Although it can be treated with linezolid, its antibiotic resistance can be transferred to other gram-positive organisms, such as Staphylococcus aureus, making these bacteria more difficult to eradicate, as well.To prevent the spread of VRE, the organism must be identified by culture and sensitivity testing as soon as the infection is recognized. Contact precautions and cohorting of infected patients are used to control nosocomial spread. Everyone entering the patient's room must wash their hand s before putting gloves on. Everyone must remove their gloves just before leaving the patient’s room and wash their hand s again. Charts and flow sheets should not be taken into the room. Hospitals should heed the guidelines that have been developed for the use of vancomycin, to minimize the spread of vancomycin resistance to other organisms.
Enterococcal infections are common and dangerous nosocomial (health care associated) diseases.
SEE: antibiotic resistance; multidrug resistance.