Cs. Stern et al., CHARACTERIZATION OF ENTEROCOCCI ISOLATED FROM HUMAN AND NONHUMAN SOURCES IN BRAZIL, Diagnostic microbiology and infectious disease, 20(2), 1994, pp. 61-67
A total of 330 enterococci strains isolated from several human (272 st
rains) and animal (27) clinical specimens and environmental sources (3
1) in Brazil were identified to species level. Major human sources inc
luded urine (48.5%), blood (15.8%), and wounds (9.5%). Human isolates
were identified as Enterococcus faecalis (90.0%), E. faecium (6.9%), E
. gallinarum (1.1%), E. durans (0.8%), E. casseliflavus (0.4%), E. raf
finosus (0.4%), and E. mundtii (0.4%). Strains isolated from animals w
ere composed of E. hirae (40.7%), E. faecalis (33.3%), E. faecium (18.
5%), and E. casseliflavus (7.5%). Among environmental isolates, 42.0%
were E. faecalis, 35.4% E. faecium, 13.0% E. hirae, 6.4% E. casselifla
vus, and 3.2% E. durans. Antimicrobial susceptibility tests were perfo
rmed for 200 strains. Overall, high-level resistance (HLR) to aminogly
cosides was found in 66 (33.0%) of the strains tested. HLR to gentamic
in was detected in 11.5% of the strains, whereas 19.0% of the strains
showed HLA to streptomycin and 26.0% showed HLR to kanamycin. Five (22
.7%) of the E. faecium strains were resistant to ampicillin [minimum i
nhibitory concentration (MIC) > 32 mu g/ml]. Vancomycin MIC(50) and MI
C(90) were 2 and 4 mu g/ml, respectively; only eight strains (identifi
ed as E. casseliflavus or E. gallinarum) had MIC of 8 mu g/ml. No beta
-lactamase activity was detected by the nitrocefin test.