Bacterium
Enterococcus faecalis/faecium
Bile-esculin and VRE vocabulary
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High-yield clue
Enterococcus links bile-esculin, salt-tolerance vocabulary, and VRE resistance concepts.
Overview
Enterococci are Gram-positive cocci used in study flows for bile-esculin vocabulary, hardy growth concepts, and VRE resistance framing.
Classification
- Gram-positive
- Cocci
- Pairs or short chains
- Enterococcus
Lab & identification clues
- Catalase negative
- Bile-esculin vocabulary
- Salt-tolerance teaching concept
Associations
- Healthcare-associated infection vocabulary
- Urinary and bloodstream educational cases
- VRE resistance concept
Commonly confused with
- Streptococcus agalactiae
- Viridans streptococci
Your notes
Original student-study summary. Sources checked: OpenStax Microbiology 2e, NCBI Bookshelf Medical Microbiology, and CDC topic pages where applicable; reviewed 2026-06. Educational only; no diagnosis, treatment, dosing, or specimen-handling guidance.