E. Faecalisn: An Infection in Hospitals

E. faecalis accounts for many nosocomial infections in hospitals. An increase in devises such as IV’s and catheters are linked to the leading cause of infections. They are mostly isolated from samples of human intestine. They are normal inhabitants for urinary tract infections, bacteremia, meningitis and wounds. These infections mostly occur after abdominal surgery. Urinary tract infections are said to be the third most common diseases E. faecalis can cause.

Urinary tract infection also known as (UTI) is an infection in any part of your urinary system. It includes your kidneys, ureters, bladder and urethra. However UTI gets serious when it spreads to your kidneys. Urinary tract infection occurs by the entrance of a bacterium into the urinary tract and begins to reproduce in the bladder. When that happens, bacteria may take over and grow into an infection in the urinary tract.

There are two types of bladder infections; one is cystitis a type of UTI usually caused by E. coli, bacteria found in the gastrointestinal tract. It can also be acquired through sexual intercourse but not always. The body structure of women is always at risk of this type of bladder infection due to the distance from the urethra to the bladder. Another bladder infection is urethritis a type of UTI which can occur when gestational tract bacteria spread from the anus to the urethra. This also leads to sexual infections, such as herpes, gonorrhea and chlamydia. Women are at greater risk of developing a UTI than men.

Signs and symptoms of UTI may include a strong urge to urinate with a burning sensation when urinating. A person with UTI tends to pass frequent and small amounts of urine. Urine also appears cloudy; a sign of blood in the urine with a strong-smell....

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...lycosides and at times vancomycin are said to be a drug resistant to E. faecalis. However with disinfectants, E. faecalis is resistant to hydrogen peroxide and susceptible to alcohol. This pathogen is inactive or destroyed when it’s in a temperature above 80 degrees Celsius. Outside of host, E. faecalis can survive in harsh surroundings comprising of plants, soil, water and food. They can also tolerate lengthy periods of food deprivation. Antibiotic resistance also known as optochin makes treatment of an infection caused by E.faecalis difficult to cure.

In conclusion E. faecalis can cause severe life-threating disease in humans and mammals especially in our health care environments. They have increased in antibiotic resistance and are also becoming very challenging for physicians to treat. Recently stronger and more specific antibiotics are being newly developed.