Characterization of presumptive vancomycin-resistant enterococci recovered during infection control surveillance in Dallas, Texas, USA.

and are Gram-positive bacteria that normally inhabit the human gastrointestinal tract. They are also opportunistic pathogens and can cause nosocomial infection outbreaks. To prevent the spread of nosocomial infections, hospitals may rely on screening methods to identify patients colonized with multidrug-resistant organisms including vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE).