title: Enteroccocus pallensas a potential novel human pathogen: three cases of spontaneous bacterial peritonitis.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Enterococcus pallensis one of the four yellow-pigmented members of the genusEnterococcus. To date, a single report ofE. pallensisolated from a human sample has been published.
  
  
  METHODS
  We report three cases ofE. pallensspontaneous bacterial peritonitis in patients with liver cirrhosis that all occurred in Quebec, Canada. Ascitic fluid analysis revealed the presence ofE. pallensin culture. Identification was made by classical biochemical testing and MALDI-TOF MS, as well as 16S rRNA and elongation factor (tuf) gene sequencing. Two of the three patients recovered after antimicrobial treatment.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This report identifiesE. pallensas a novel human pathogen that appears to possess particular but as-yet unidentified virulence factors that favour the development of peritoneal fluid infections, as previously reported for otherEnterococcusspecies. Clinical microbiologist should be aware of this micro-organism which can be identified by phenotypic and molecular methods.
authors.affiliation: Laboratoire de santé publique du Québec/Institut national de santé publique du Québec , Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue, Québec , Canada.
authors.forename: Simon
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Lévesque
authors.affiliation: SMBD - Jewish General Hospital , Québec , Canada.
authors.forename: Yves
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Longtin
authors.affiliation: Laboratoire de santé publique du Québec/Institut national de santé publique du Québec , Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue, Québec , Canada.
authors.forename: Marc-Christian
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Domingo
authors.affiliation: Laboratoire de santé publique du Québec/Institut national de santé publique du Québec , Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue, Québec , Canada.
authors.forename: Cynthia
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Massé
authors.affiliation: Centre hospitalier régional Rimouski-Neigette , Québec , Canada.
authors.forename: Harold
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Bernatchez
authors.affiliation: Centre Hospitalier de l'Université de Montréal , Québec , Canada.
authors.forename: Christiane
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Gaudreau
authors.affiliation: Laboratoire de santé publique du Québec/Institut national de santé publique du Québec, Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue, Québec, Canada; Centre de recherche de l'Université de Montréal, Québec, Canada.
authors.forename: Cécile
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Tremblay
keywords: Enteroccocus pallens; Quebec; liver cirrhosis; peritonitis