Enterococcus faecium is a gram-positive spherical bacterium. Enterococcus faecium was first discovered in 1919 and was misclassified as a different type of bacteria (Streptococci). A study in 1984 looked at its genetic material more closely and classified it as a different group of bacteria.
Enterococci are commonly found in the gut. They have a high tolerance to salts present in this environment. Elsewhere, they may cause infections. Infections are always related to the urinary tract or the biliary/gastrointestinal tract. Sometimes infections can lead to bacteria present in the circulating blood (bacteremia).
Hospitalized patients with weak immunity are at a great risk of Enterococcal infections due to prolonged use of antibiotics. Enterococci cause 10-15% of the infections transmitted in a hospital that occur in the urinary tract, intra-abdomen and in the bloodstream. Among Enterococci, Enterococcus faecalis and Enterococcus faecium are the most common causative agents of human infections.