Enterococcus faecalis is a nonmotile, gram-positive, spherical bacterium. It can be observed singly, in pairs, or in short chains, and is most often found in the large intestine of humans. It is a facultative anaerobe with a fermentative metabolism. It can often be confused with S. pneumonia, but E. faecalis contains many identification features that can be verified with testing.
E. faecalis is listed as the first to the third leading cause of nosocomial infections. Most of these infections occur after surgery of the abdomen or a puncturing trauma, but can also be linked to the increased use of IV’s and catheters, which are considered compromising devises. It is also responsible for urinary tract infections, bacterimia, endocarditis, meningitis, and can be found in wound infections along with many other bacteria.