Streptococcus Pneumoniae Resistance to Penicillin and Other Beta-Lactam Antibiotics from Isolates at a University Hospital in Taiwan
Resource
JOURNAL OF INFECTION AND CHEMOTHERAPY v.3 n.2 pp.103-106
Journal
JOURNAL OF INFECTION AND CHEMOTHERAPY
Journal Volume
v.3
Journal Issue
n.2
Pages
103-106
Date Issued
1997
Date
1997
Author(s)
CHANG, SHAN-CHWEN
CHEN, YEE-CHUN
LUH, KWEN-TAY
HSIEH, WEI-CHUAN
Abstract
The in vitro susceptibility to 9 β-lactam antibiotics of 65 clinical strains ofStreptococcus pneumoniae collected from a teaching hospital in Taiwan during the period from 1989 to 1994 were studied. Minimum inhibitory concentrations (MIC) were determined by the agar dilution method with 5% horse blood. Intermediate resistance to penicillin G was found in 24.6% of the strains (MIC, 0.125 to 1 μg/mL) and 7.7% of the strains were fully-resistant to penicillin G (MIC, 2 μg/mL). Ten strains (15.4%) were fully-resistant to cefotaxime (MIC, ≥2 μg/mL), whereas 3 strains (4.6%) showed intermediate resistance (MIC 1 μg/mL). The intermediate- and fully-resistant rates for penicillin increased from 12.5% and 0% in the period 1989 to 1991 to 27 .3% and 22.7% in 1994, respectively. The rate of strains intermediately- and fully-resistant to cefotaxime increased from 0% in the period 1989 to 1991 to 9.1% and 22.7% in 1994 , respectively. There was also a high probability of resistance to cefotaxime in strains that were intermediately - or fully-resistant to penicillin G.
Subjects
Streptococcus pneumoniae
susceptibility
penicillin resistance
beta-lactam antibiotics