Enterococcus durans

An abnormal result showing Enterococcus durans in a Urine Culture, Urology Workup panel indicates the presence of this specific bacterium in your urine sample. Here's a clear breakdown of what this means:

What is Enterococcus durans?

• Enterococcus durans is a type of bacteria that is rarely found in human infections but is part of the larger Enterococcus genus, which is known to live in the gastrointestinal tract.

• Its presence in urine can sometimes indicate a urinary tract infection (UTI) or contamination, depending on the colony count and patient symptoms.

Colony Count: Less than 10,000 CFU/mL

• This is a low colony count. Typically:

  • <10,000 CFU/mL is considered insignificant or possibly contaminant unless the patient is symptomatic.

  • ≥100,000 CFU/mL is usually considered a true infection.

• So unless you're experiencing urinary symptoms (e.g., burning, urgency, frequency, discomfort), this result may not indicate an active infection.

Susceptibility and Treatment Guidance

• The laboratory text usually gives antibiotic susceptibility information based on guidelines from CLSI (Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute):

  • If Enterococcus is sensitive to penicillin, it's also susceptible to:

    • Ampicillin

    • Amoxicillin

    • Ampicillin-sulbactam

    • Amoxicillin-clavulanate

    • Piperacillin-tazobactam

  • Not effective (ineffective options):

    • Aminoglycosides (except for high-level resistance testing)

    • Cephalosporins

    • Clindamycin

    • Trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole (Bactrim)

This information helps your doctor choose the right antibiotic, if treatment is necessary.

What Should You Do?

• If you have no urinary symptoms, this result likely does not require treatment.

• If you do have symptoms, talk to your healthcare provider. They may:

  • Repeat the culture to confirm

  • Consider antibiotic treatment if the organism is causing an infection

• If you're undergoing a urology workup, your doctor may be looking for subtle or chronic infections, so even low levels like this could matter depending on your case.

Bottom Line

• Enterococcus durans detected in urine at <10,000 CFU/mL is probably not clinically significant unless you have symptoms or specific urologic concerns.

• Your provider will interpret this in context with your symptoms, history, and other test results.