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Roland Leclercq, Enterococci Acquire New Kinds of Resistance, Clinical Infectious Diseases, Volume 24, Issue Supplement_1, January 1997, Pages S80–S84, https://doi.org/10.1093/clinids/24.Supplement_1.S80
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Abstract
In recent years, enterococci have become increasingly resistant to a broad range of antimicrobial agents. The development of high-level resistance to aminoglycosides, penicillins, and glycopeptides singly and in combination has important clinical implications. Strains of Enterococcus faecium that are resistant to every useful available antibiotic have been described. Resistance to penicillin can be due to overproduction of penicillin-binding protein (which has low affinity for penicillins) or to production of β-lactamase. High-level resistance of enterococci to gentamicin is due to the synthesis of a modifying enzyme. In this case, the synergistic activity of the combination of penicillin with any aminoglycoside (except for streptomycin) is totally abolished. Acquired resistance to glycopeptides is often plasmid-mediated and is associated with a major epidemic potential since certain plasmids are self-transferable from E. faecium to a variety of gram-positive organisms, including Staphylococcus aureus.
- antibiotics
- gentamicin sulfate (usp)
- staphylococcus aureus
- enterococcus
- plasmids
- penicillin
- enterococcus faecium
- gentamicins
- glycopeptides
- gram-positive bacteria
- gram-positive bacterial infections
- gram-positive cocci
- gram-positive rods
- streptomycin
- enzymes
- aminoglycosides
- antimicrobials
- epidemics
- penicillin-binding proteins
- affinity