Abstract

IDENTIFICATION, SPECIATION AND ANTIBIOGRAM OF ENTEROCOCCI ISOLATED FROM VARIOUS CLINICAL SAMPLES AT A TERTIARY CARE HOSPITAL

Enterococci have been considered as relatively low virulence but they are known to cause various clinical infections like urinary tract infections, endocarditis, intra abdominaland pelvic infections. The emergence of vancomycin resistant Enterococci (VRE) in addition to the increasing incidence of high level aminoglycoside resistance (HLAR), presents a serious challenge for clinicians treating the patients with infections due to Enterococci. Materials and Methods: A total of 50 Enterococcal isolates from various clinical samples were included during the period of six months and processed according to standard protocol and speciation was based on Facklams conventional method. Antibacterial susceptibility pattern was determined by Kirby Bauer disc diffusion method with recommended antibiotics. Results: E.faecalis was the predominant species isolated among various clinical samples. Among 50 Enterococcal isolates 25 from urine (50%) were E.faecalis. followed by10 isolates from blood 9(18%) were E.faecalis and one (2%) was E.faecium, finally 15 isolates from exudates (pus) 15(30%) were E.faecalis. Out of 50 strains, 20% of isolates were resistant to ciprofloxacin, 8% ampicillin and8% penicillin. Conclusion: E.faecalis is more common than E.faecium. Maximum isolates were obtained from urine samples, and all the clinical isolates were susceptible to vancomycin