Enterococci are bacteria that are normally present in the human intestines, female genital tract and are often found in the environment. These bacteria can however, sometimes cause serious infections.
Vancomycin is an antibiotic that is used to treat some drug-resistant infections caused by enterococci. In some instances, enterococci have become resistant to this drug and are thus called vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE). Most of these VRE infections occur in hospitals.
