Enterococcus faecalis is a gram-positive coccus associated with urinary tract infections and wound infections.
Urinary tract infections: Enterococcus faecalis is frequently implicated in healthcare-associated UTIs, particularly in patients with urinary catheters or structural urologic abnormalities. It is capable of forming biofilms and exhibiting resistance to many antibiotics, including vancomycin. Its role in persistent and recurrent infections underscores the need for sensitive detection in diagnostic panels (Codelia-Anjum et al. 2023, Hourigan et al. 2024, Arias & Murray 2012).
Wound infections: Enterococcus faecalis is frequently isolated from chronic wound infections and surgical sites, especially in chronic wounds like diabetic foot ulcers. Enterococci are common in diabetic foot infections and are associated with delayed healing and increased risk of complications. E. faecalis can form biofilms in wound environments and exhibits resistance to some antibiotics. PCR detection of E. faecalis is crucial because it is one of the most common bacteria in non-healing wounds (Melo et al. 2021, Celik et al. 2024)
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Melo, L. D. R., Ferreira, R., Costa, A. R., Oliveira, H., & Azeredo, J. (2021). Author Correction: Efficacy and safety assessment of two enterococci phages in an in vitro biofilm wound model. Scientific reports, 11(1), 11008.
Celik, C., Lee, S. T. T., Tanoto, F. R., Veleba, M., Kline, K., & Thibault, G. (2024). Decoding the complexity of delayed wound healing following Enterococcus faecalis infection. eLife, 13, RP95113.
