Enterococcus Faecium: Infection, Transmission & Diseases

Enterococcus faecium is a bacterium that belongs to the enterococcus family and is found in the human intestinal flora. Outside the intestinal tract, it can cause ailments such as urinary tract infections. In pharmacy, it is used, for example, to rebuild disturbed intestinal flora.

What is Enterococcus faecium?

Behind the name Enterococcus faecium is a bacterium that is, among other things, a component of the human intestinal flora. It belongs to the enterococcus family. These are relatives of streptococci, but differ from them in some essential points. Enterococcus faecium is accordingly found not only in human and animal organisms, but also in the environment (for example, in soil or sewage). It often occurs in pairs or in the form of a chain. Basically, Enterococcus faecium does not cause any symptoms. However, it can cause some diseases if it is found outside the intestinal tract. These may be difficult to treat because the bacterium quickly becomes resistant to antibiotics. In pharmacy, strains of Enterococcus faecium find use for a variety of disorders and ailments.

Importance and function

Enterococcus faecium is a bacterium that occurs naturally in human and animal organisms. It is an integral part of the human intestinal flora and thus helps to maintain a balanced bacterial balance in the intestinal tract and to ensure optimal digestion. Under certain circumstances it can become the main germ of the intestinal flora, which happens especially when the person concerned takes antibiotics as a result of a bacterial infection. Due to its properties, the bacterium is capable of surviving in the body even under difficult conditions. For example, it is very resistant and can remain alive in the bile or even multiply under the conditions prevailing there (the bile has a hydrochloric acid content of about 6.5% inside). Temperature increases of up to 60 °C also have no negative effect on Enterococcus faecium for a short time. If a patient’s intestinal flora is disturbed, for example, the attending physician can prescribe live germs of an Enterococcus faecium strain in capsule form to restore the balance in the intestine in this way. Such an application is also possible in cases of severe diarrhea. Enterococcus faecium does not cause disease or health problems in most cases unless it is found outside the intestinal tract.

Diseases

In general, Enterococcus faecium is not a bacterium that causes disease or health problems on a large scale. However, this is true only when its presence is limited to the intestinal tract. If the bacterium occurs outside this region, it can cause, for example, urinary tract diseases such as cystitis or endocarditis (inflammation of the lining of the heart) and inflammation of the gallbladder (cholecystitis) in people with a weakened immune system. Enterococcus faecium is also particularly known to cause so-called nosocomial infections (also known as hospital infections). This is an infection that a patient contracts during a hospital stay and which did not yet exist at the time of admission. It is not uncommon for a nosocomial infection involving Enterococcus faecium to occur, particularly after intestinal surgery. Statistics indicate that approximately 10% of all known cases are due to Enterococcus faecium. However, even more frequently (in up to 90% of cases), the related bacterium Enterococcus faecalis is responsible for the infections. If an infection occurs with Enterococcus faecium as the trigger, it is very difficult to treat in many cases. By nature, the bacterium has a high resistance to numerous substances used as antibiotics in medicine. When treating the present infection, care must be taken to use alternative substances. However, here too there is a risk that Enterococcus faecium will quickly develop resistance to the antibiotic in question. Often, therefore, the antibiotic must be changed several times during the course of therapy in order to achieve the desired effect and to circumvent already existing or newly developed resistance.