Objective: In this study, the aim is to investigate the antibiotic resistance profiles of Enterococcus faecalis and Enterococcus faecium strains isolated from the cultures of patients hospitalized in intensive care units and inpatient services over a four-year period, and the vancomycin resistant enterococci rate obtained from rectal screening samples.

Methods: In this study, a total of 3361 enterococcus strains isolated from various clinical samples between January 2018 and December 2021 were evaluated in a university hospital’s medical microbiology laboratory. Bacterial identification and antibiotic susceptibility tests were performed using conventional methods and automated systems.

Results: Of the isolated 3361 enterococcus strains, 2407 (71.61%) were identified as Enterococcus faecium and 885 (26.33%) were identified as Enterococcus faecalis. It was found that the antibiotic resistance rates in Enterococcus faecium strains were higher than those in Enterococcus faecalis strains. Enterococcus faecium strains had high resistance rates to ampicillin (95.48%), high-level gentamicin (77.01%), high-level streptomycin (65.88%), while Enterococcus faecalis had the highest resistance rate to high-level streptomycin (36.21%). Linezolid was found to be the most sensitive antibiotic for both enterococcus types.

Conclusion: In particular, the increasing resistance rates in Enterococcus faecium have been limiting the use of many antibiotics. Identification of enterococcus strains isolated from patients and monitoring of antibiotic susceptibility patterns is crucial for determining empirical treatment and preventing potential new enterococcal infections.