The distribution and resistance patterns of clinical isolates of enterococci from hospital patients were compared with those obtained from outpatients. Of 235 enterococcal isolates 212 (90.2%) were identified as Enterococcus faecalis and 23 (9.8%) as E. faecium. E. faecium occurred more frequently in specimens from hospitalized patients than from outpatients (P < 0.001). Over 90% of all E. faecalis isolates were susceptible to ampicillin. Resistance to ampicillin occurred in 66.7% of hospital strains of E. faecium. High-level resistance to gentamicin (MIC > 500 mg/l) was seen in 37.03% of inpatients' and in 11.5% of outpatients' E. faecalis isolates and in 76.2% of hospital isolates of E. faecium. High-level streptomycin resistance (MIC > 2000 mg/l) occurred in 52.8% of E. faecalis and 76.2% of E. faecium hospital isolates. There were no isolates resistant to vancomycin. The community acquired strains isolated from outpatients were more susceptible than isolates from hospitalized patients to all antimicrobial agents tested.