The incidence and diversity of enterococci in retail food samples of meat, dairy and vegetable origin was investigated. Enterococci were present, at concentrations of 10(1) to 10(4) CFU/g. Fifty selected isolates from food samples grouped in two separate clusters by RAPD analysis. Cluster G1 (72% of the isolates) contained the E. faecium CECT 410T type strain, and also showed a high degree of genetic diversity. Cluster G2 (28% of the isolates) contained the E. faecalis CECT 481T type strain and was genetically more homogeneous. Virulence traits (haemolysin, gelatinase or DNAse activities, or the presence of structural genes cylL, ace, asal and esp) were not detected. All isolates were sensitive to the antibiotics ampicillin, penicillin, gentamicin, streptomycin and chloramphenicol. A high pecentage of isolates were resistant to erythromycin and rifampicin. Many isolates showed intermediate sensitivity to several antibiotics (tetracycline, ciprofloxacin, levofloxacin, or quinupristin/dalfopristin). Vancomycin and teicoplanin resistance was detected in one strain, but vanA, vanB, vanC1, vanC2 or vanC3 genes were not detected. Many of the isolates showed functional properties of food or health relevance. Production of antimicrobial substances was detected in 17 of the isolates, and 14 of them carried structural genes for enterocins A, B and/or P.