Virulence factors and antibiotic resistance of representatives of the genus enterococcus

Abstract

Introduction. Enterococci are very widespread in nature, being representatives of the normal microbiocenosis in humans and animals. However, in recent decades they have become the subject of close attention of clinical microbiology due to their increasing role in the etiology of nosocomial infections. Enterococci are one of the most common participants in the development of anaerobic-aerobic mixed infections. Being facultative aerobes, they are able to effectively stimulate the growth of obligate anaerobic pathogens, enhancing their virulence potential. Some strains of these microorganisms in the process of evolution have acquired a number of pathogenicity factors and the ability to cause serious infectious diseases with a fairly high mortality rate (over 50%)