Abstract
The species distribution of 341 enterococci recovered from faecal samples of 250 patients and healthy individuals was compared with 574 clinical isolates. Species other than E. faecalis and E. faecium accounted for only 2.4 per cent of the clinical, but for 36.9 per cent of the faecal isolates. Such species were present in more than half the positive faecal samples. In contrast to its distribution in clinical isolates, E. faecium was slightly more represented in stools than E. faecalis. Species distribution was not markedly different in faecal isolates from hospitalised patients or healthy persons, but almost no resistance to antibiotics was found in healthy individuals' strains. Ampicillin resistance was observed in 51.5 per cent of the clinical E. faecium strains.