Background: Enterococcus is a bacterial genus with low virulence. However, in the last years, the importance of some enterococcus species as nosocomial pathogens has increased, specially due to their resistance to some antimicrobial. Aim: To identify enterococcus strains using classical biochemical techniques and genomic amplification with Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR). Material and methods: Three hundred and five enterococcus strains, isolated between 1996 and 1999, from different clinical specimens in hospitals and other centers of the VIIIth Region of Chile, were studied. The isolates were identified, to the species level, according to the scheme proposed by Carvalho et al. Identification of some strains was confirmed by PCR. Results: Eighty nine percent of isolates were identified as E fæcalis, 10.2% as E fæcium and 3.3% as other species. Conclusions: PCR is a fast and promising technique, useful in the identification of Enterococcus species (Rev Méd Chile 2002; 130: 45-49)