title: Enterococcus faecalis endocarditis.
abstract: The increasing usage of cephalosporins, to which the enterococci are resistant, has resulted in the rising number of enterococcal infections worldwide. Enterococci are a normal part of the flora of the human gastrointestinal tract, buccal cavity, perineal skin, vagina, urethra and gallbladder, but may occur as pathogens in a number of sites causing urinary tract infections, intra-abdominal infections, fatal bacteremia, meningitis and endocarditis. A Saudi male who developed enterococcal endocarditis with vegetations on both aortic and mitral valves required mitral and aortic valve replacement. The attention of physicians is drawn to the increasing frequency of enterococcus as a cause of nosocomial infections, the risk factors, and antibiotic resistance pattern including resistance to vancomycin as well as its potential for virulence.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, King Khalid National Guard Hospital, PO Box 9515, Jeddah 21423, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
authors.forename: Mona A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Kholeif
authors.forename: Abdulhalim J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Kinsara
authors.forename: Boniface O
authors.initials: BO
authors.lastname: George
authors.forename: Abdulfattah W
authors.initials: AW
authors.lastname: Mowallad
authors.forename: Fakri A
authors.initials: FA
authors.lastname: Bugis
authors.forename: Abimbola O
authors.initials: AO
authors.lastname: Osoba
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D004697:Endocarditis, Bacterial / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000628:therapy; D013293:Enterococcus faecalis; D016908:Gram-Positive Bacterial Infections / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000628:therapy; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D012529:Saudi Arabia