Enterococcus and its Association with Foodborne Illness

Abstract

Enterococci are an important group of bacteria and their interaction with humans is complex. On one hand, enterococci are part of the normal flora of humans and animals, and some of their strains are used for the manufacturing of foods or as probiotics, whereas others are known to cause serious diseases in humans. With the emergence of enterococci as the third most common cause of nosocomial blood-stream infections (1) as well as the alarming rise in enterococci resistance to multiple antimicrobials, more concentrated effort has been invested in the better understanding of this versatile microorganism.