Bacteremia due to enterococcus avium

Enterococcus avium, formerly “group Q streptococcus,” has rarely been reported as a pathogen in humans. To determine the clinical significance of this organism, we reviewed the records of all patients whose blood cultures were positive for E. avium who were seen at our institution from 1986 through 1991 and identified nine cases of bacteremia due to E. avium. All isolates were believed to be clinically significant. Five of nine cases developed in patients with significant gastrointestinal illnesses. The remaining clinical scenarios included intravenous catheter sepsis and factitious disorders. E. avium bacteremias were polymicrobial in seven cases; in six cases, the coisolates were gastrointestinal organisms. These observations suggest that E. avium bacteremia most often originated from a gastrointestinal tract source. We conclude that, though rare, E. avium can be pathogenic in humans and that E. avium bacteremia is associated with gastrointestinal abnormalities.