RÉSUMÉ
Between April 1, 1999 and June 30, 2000, 144 isolates of enterococci (one per patient) from cultures of several anatomic sites were collected. One hundred and nineteen (82.6
) E. faecium and 14 (9.7
) of other species (5 E. raffinosus, 4 E. avium, 3 E. casseliflavus, 1 E. pseudoavium, and 1 E. dispar) were associated with clinical infections. The most common sites of isolation were: the urinary tract 54.9
. High-level resistance to gentamicin or streptomycin or both was detected in 48.6
of the isolates. E. faecium and E. raffinosus were significantly more resistant than E. faecalis to ampicilin and imipenem. None of the strains exhibited beta-lactamase activity. One strain of E. faecium (0.7
) was resistant to vancomicin and teicoplanin (Van A phenotype) and two strains of E. casseliflavus (1.4
) showed low level of resistance to vancomicin (Van C phenotype). Because of these diverse antimicrobial resistance mechanisms, successful treatment and control of enterococcal infections with current antimicrobial agents are becoming increasingly difficult.