Enterococci, from Harmless Bacteria to a Pathogen
1
Microbiology and Antibiotic Resistance Team (MicroART), Department of Veterinary Sciences, University of Trás-os-Montes and Alto Douro (UTAD), 5001-801 Vila Real, Portugal
2
Department of Genetics and Biotechnology, University of Trás-os-Montes and Alto Douro, 5001-801 Vila Real, Portugal
3
Functional Genomics and Proteomics Unit, University of Trás-os-Montes and Alto Douro (UTAD), 5001-801 Vila Real, Portugal
4
Associated Laboratory for Green Chemistry (LAQV-REQUIMTE), University NOVA of Lisboa, 2829-516 Lisboa, Caparica, Portugal
5
Faculty of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, University of the Azores, 9500-321 Angra do Heroísmo, Portugal
6
Institute of Agricultural and Environmental Research and Technology (IITAA), University of the Azores, 9500-321 Angra do Heroísmo, Portugal
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Microorganisms 2020, 8(8), 1118; https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms8081118
Received: 29 June 2020 / Revised: 15 July 2020 / Accepted: 23 July 2020 / Published: 25 July 2020
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Intestinal and Respiratory Infections and Antimicrobials)
Enterococci are gastrointestinal commensals whose hardiness allowed them to colonize very diverse environments, including soils, water, food, and feed. This ability to overcome adverse conditions makes enterococci problematic once they colonize hospital niches. Together with the malleability of their genomes, the capacity to acquire and disseminate determinants of antibiotic resistance has contributed to converting what was once just another opportunistic pathogen into a first-class clinical problem. This review discusses the dimension of the emergence of enterococcal resistance to key antimicrobial agents, the dissemination of this resistance, and its significance in terms of public health, with the aim of raising awareness of the need to devise and implement surveillance programs and more effective antibiotic stewardship.
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Keywords:
Enterococcus; antibiotic resistance; vancomycin resistance; public health; nosocomial opportunists
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This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited
MDPI and ACS Style
Ramos, S.; Silva, V.; Dapkevicius, M.d.L.E.; Igrejas, G.; Poeta, P. Enterococci, from Harmless Bacteria to a Pathogen. Microorganisms 2020, 8, 1118. https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms8081118
AMA Style
Ramos S, Silva V, Dapkevicius MdLE, Igrejas G, Poeta P. Enterococci, from Harmless Bacteria to a Pathogen. Microorganisms. 2020; 8(8):1118. https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms8081118
Chicago/Turabian StyleRamos, Sónia; Silva, Vanessa; Dapkevicius, Maria d.L.E.; Igrejas, Gilberto; Poeta, Patrícia. 2020. "Enterococci, from Harmless Bacteria to a Pathogen" Microorganisms 8, no. 8: 1118. https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms8081118
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