Review
Antimicrobial resistance in enterococci: Clinical implications [Resistencia de los enterococos a los antimicrobianos: Implicaciones clínicas]
Fecha
1999Autor
Ahumada, S.E.
Otero, R.M.
Noriega, E.R.
Institución
Resumen
The appearance of multiresistant enterococci represent to therapeutic challenge. During the last decade Enterococcus species have developed high-level gentamicin resistance, beta-lactamase production, vamcomycin and teicoplanin resistance, and high-level ampicillin resistance. The enterococci have become common nosocomial pathogens and problematic community pathogens. Enterococcus like E. faecium and E. faecalis are two of the bacteria that have developed bacterial resistance to almost all available antimicrobial agents. Enterococcus has joined methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus, penicillin-resistant Pneumococcus, vancomycin-resistant coagulase-negative Staphylococcus, and vancomycin-resistant S. aureus to the new gram-positive problem bacteria, similar to the gram-negative preponderance in the 1970s. The emergence of transferable multiresistance in gram-positive cocci like Enterococcus demands better laboratory methods for its detection and a complete adherence to the recommendations for preventing the spread of resistance in bacteria that frequently cause human infections.