Prevalence, Virulence Factors and Antibiotic Susceptibilities of Enterococcal Isolates from Various Clinical Specimens in Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu

Aim To determine and analyze the prevalence, antibiotic susceptibilities and virulence factors of enterococci isolated from various clinical specimens. MethodsThe microbiological records of all patients infected with enterococcal species were reviewed. Information on specimen type, age, sex, seasonal variation, coexisting infections, results of each diagnostic techniques and in vitro antibacterial susceptibility patterns were recorded and analyzed. Culture characteristics and virulence factors of the isolates such as hemolytic pattern and gelatinase production were also studied. ResultsOf3486 total cases reported during the study period, 1848 (53 %) and 1638 (47 %) were found to be male and female respectively. Urine specimen was the predominant clinical specimen received. A total of 827 (23.7 %) bacterial isolates were identified and 35.6 % (295) and 64.3 % (532) were notedto be gram-positive and gram-negative pathogens respectively. S. aureuswas the most prevalent gram positive isolate in this region. More number of Enterococcus spp (30, 48.3 %) was isolated from pus specimen.61 (98.4 %) enterococcal isolates were determinedto be susceptibleto linezolid, teicoplanin, vancomycin and amoxicillin. Conclusion Prospectiveregion basedlarge-scale studies would certainly bring out a supportive database for an appropriate treatment of enterococcal infections.