Isolation and Identification of Enterococcus Species from Various Clinical Samples and Their Antimicrobial Susceptibility Pattern at a Tertiary Health Care Hospital in Agra

Abstract

Enterococcus isolates were identified. Maximum samples from which Enterococcus spp. was isolated is urine i.e. 39 (54.17%), followed by pus and blood i.e. 22 (30.55%) and 5 (6.94%) respectively. Maximum isolate is E. faecalis i.e. 62 (86.11%) followed by E.faecium i.e. 10 (13.89%). On Antimicrobial Susceptibility testing, Ampicillin, Ciprofloxacin, Levofloxacin, Tetracycline and Doxycycline show 70.83%, 38.88%, 30.55%, 58.33% and 52.77% resistance respectively. Among the 33 Enterococcal isolates tested by disc diffusion method, Erythromycin shows 57.57% resistance. Nitrofurantoin and Norfloxacin show 15.38% and 76.92% resistance respectively, among the 39 Enterococcal isolates obtained from urine. Vancomycin shows 4.16% resistance and High Level Gentamycin shows 18.05% resistance. The emergence of Vancomycin resistance and High Level Aminoglycoside resistance in Enterococci poses a serious threat to patient's safety as it leaves fewer options for disease management. In the present study, Teicoplanin and Linezolid were found to be 100% susceptible for all the Enterococcal isolates, hence these drugs can be prescribed even for Vancomycin Resistant Enterococci (VRE).