The patterns and transmissibility of antibiotic resistance among clinical strains of Pseudomonas aeruginosa.

Four hundred and ninety-eight predominantly pyocin-type 10 clinical strains of Pseudomonas aeruginosa were analyzed for resistance to carbenicillin, cefoperazone, cefotaxime, ceftazidime, gentamicin, amikacin and netilmicin. Based on NCCLS-recommended MIC breakpoints, 245 strains were found to be resistant, of which 41.6% were resistant to carbenicillin, 38% to gentamicin, 37.8% to netilmicin, 26.3% to cefoperazone, 17.9% to cefotaxime, 0.6% to amikacin and none to ceftazidime. Quadruple resistance to carbenicillin, cefoperazone, gentamicin and netilmicin was the most frequent pattern observed. Resistance to older antibiotics (kanamycin, streptomycin and tetracycline) and to mercuric chloride were also common. Conjugation experiments suggested that self-transmissible and non-transmissible plasmids occurred in at least 66 strains.     

Antibiotic susceptibility and occurrence of ESBL in Pseudomonas aeruginosa strains isolated from different clinical specimens

The aim of this study was to evaluate the drug susceptibility of 132 P. aeruginosa strains isolated from patients hospitalized in SPSK University Hospital in Bialystok. The isolates were obtained from clinical specimens over an 11-month period in 2001 and 2002. All the strains were identified in automatic ATB system using API 20 NE strips, and their susceptibility to antibiotics was tested by standard disc-diffusion method and agar dilution method. The minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) was determined for five antibiotics: piperacillin, amikacin, ceftazidime, imipenem and ciprofloxacin. The majority of strains were susceptible to ceftazidime (91.7%), piperacillin combined with tazobactam (85.6%), amikacin (80.3%), meropenem and imipenem (81.8%). Many of our strains were resistant to cefotaxime (73.5%), ticarcillin (53%) and ciprofloxacin (48.5%). Also, the trial was undertaken to detect strains producing extended-spectrum beta-lactamases (ESBL) and inducible beta-lactamases (IBL) among P. aeruginosa rods isolated from different specimens. ESBL-producing strains were detected with double disc test (DDST) and combination double disc (CD) test. Clavulanate was applied as the inhibitor of these beta-lactamases. Strains producing ESBL were not found. On the other hand, as many as 127 P. aeruginosa strains (96.2%) produced inducible beta-lactamases (IBL).     

Occurrence and susceptibility to antibiotics of carbapenem-resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa strains between 1998 and 2009

P. aeruginosa rods are dangerous pathogens mainly responsible for nosocomial infections of different localization. Resistance to carbapenems, observed among them, is a serious threat due to ability to be transmitted between bacterial species. The aim of our study was to retrospectively evaluate the frequency of isolation and susceptibility to antibiotics of imipenem- and meropenem-resistant P. aeruginosa strains isolated between 1998 and 2009 from patients of University Hospital No 1 of dr A. Jurasz in Bydgoszcz. Study shows increasing number of isolation that type of strains from 19 in 1998 to 144 in 2009. Among all isolated P. aeruginosa strains majority was obtained from patients of the Intensive Care Units, Rehabilitation and Surgery Clinics. Examined strains of P. aeruginosa rods were mainly isolated from urine (20.5%), bronchoalveolar lavage (17.7%) and wound swabs (14.5%) samples. The isolates demonstrated frequently resistance to carbenicillin (> or 66.7%), ticarcillin (> or = 72.7%) and cefotaxime (> or = 75.6%). The lowest rate of resistant strains was observed in case of ceftazidime (< or = 68.8%), aztreonam (< or = 47.4%) and colistin (< or = 1.7%) suggesting the highest activity of that antimicrobials against infections caused by examined strains.     

Antibiotic susceptibility and molecular mechanisms of cephalosporins resistance in Klebsiella isolates from patients with hospital-acquired infections]

Antibiotic susceptibility of nosocomial Klebsiella isolates from inpatients of 30 medical centres in 15 various regions of Russia was studied. In total 212 strains were tested. The Klebsiella genus was represented by the following species: Klebsiella pmeumoniae ss. pneumoniae (182 isolates, 85.8%), Klebsiella pneumonia ss. ozaenae (1 isolate, 0.5%), Klebsiella oxytoca (29 isolates, 13.7%). The susceptibility was determined by the broth microdilution method. Carbapenems (imipenem and meropenem) remained to be the most active antibacterial agents. However, 1 imipenem resistant strain and 2 meropenem resistant strains were isolated. As for the 3rd generation cephalosporins, the lowest MICs were observed with the use of the inhibitor-protected agents, such as ceftazidime/clavulanic acid (MIC50 0.25 mcg/ml, MIC90 64 mcg/ml). 48.8%, 16.9%, 29.7% and only 10.5% of the isolates was susceptible to cefepime, cefotaxime, ceftazidime and cefoperazone respectively. Detecting of the beta-lactamase genes (TEM, SHV and CTX) was performed by PCR in 42 strains of Klebsiella pneumoniae ss. pneumoniae. Alone or in various combination the TEM type beta-lactamases were detected in 16 (38.1%) isolates. SHV and CTX were detected in 29 (69%) and 27 (64.3%) isolates respectively. Combinations of 2 and 3 different determinants of resistance to beta-lactams were revealed in 23.8% and 26.2% of the isolates respectively. No isolates producing class B MBL among the carbapenem resistant nosocomial Klebsiella strains were detected.     

Comparative in vitro activity of first, second and third generation cephalosporins

Minimum inhibitory concentrations (MIC) were determined against 662 recent clinical isolates for eight cephalosporins representing first, second and third generation compounds. All four third-generation cephalosporins tested (cefoperaxone, cefotaxime, ceftazidime and moxalactam) were significantly more active against aerobic gram-negative bacteria than the older compounds (cephalothin, cefamandole, cefoxitin, and cefuroxime). Cefotaxime and moxalactam were most active against Enterobacteriaceae with extremely low MIC-values. Ceftazidime was definitely most active against Pseudomonas aeruginosa with more than 90% of strains inhibited at 4 micro g/ml. MIC-values for cefotaxime against Staphylococcus aureus were for all strains 1-2 micro g/ml, slightly higher for cefoperazone, while the effect of ceftazidime and moxalactam was more limited. All third generation cephalosporins demonstrated efficiency against Streptococcus pyogenes, cefotaxime being most active and moxalactam least active, but were essentially ineffective against Streptococcus faecalis. Moxalactam demonstrated higher activity against Bacteroides fragilis than other second and third generation cephalosporins including cefoxitin. Previous studies have demonstrated a very high activity of all third generation cephalosporins against Haemophilus influenzae and Neisseria gonorrhoeae, including beta-lactamase producing strains.     

Antimicrobial resistance among Brazilian Corynebacterium diphtheriae strains

The increasing problems with multidrug resistance in relation to Corynebacterium, including C. diphtheriae, are examples of challenges confronting many countries. For this reason, Brazilian C. diphtheriae strains were evaluated by the E-Test for their susceptibility to nine antibacterial drugs used in therapy. Resistance (MIC < 0.002; 0.38 microg/ml) to penicillin G was found in 14.8% of the strains tested. Although erythromycin (MIC90 0.75 microg/ml) and azithromycin (MIC90 0.064 microg/ml) were active against C. diphtheriae in this study, 4.2% of the strains showed decreased susceptibility (MIC 1.0 microg/ml) to erythromycin. Multiple resistance profiles were determined by the disk diffusion method using 31 antibiotics. Most C. diphtheriae strains (95.74%) showed resistance to mupirocin, aztreonam, ceftazidime, and/or oxacillin, ampicillin, penicillin, tetracycline, clindamycin, lincomycin, and erythromycin. This study presents the antimicrobial susceptibility profiles of Brazilian C. diphtheriae isolates. The data are of value to practitioners, and suggest that some concern exists regarding the use of penicillin.     

Reduced susceptibility to triclosan in methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus

Susceptibility to triclosan in Staphylococcus aureus was determined. The study was carried out on 200 strains, including 100 resistant (MRSA) and 100 susceptibile (MSSA) to methicillin. The examined strains were isolated from varied clinical samples and patients in 18 medical centers, in majority from hospitals in the region of Gdansk. The susceptibility was estimated by the MIC (minimal inhibitory concentration) using dilution test in Mueller-Hinton agar. The antimicrobial resistance patterns were determined, including resistance to methicillin and mupirocin. The most of MRSA strains (62%) demonstrated reduced susceptibility to triclosan (MIC 2mg/L), while 93% of MSSA strains were highly sensitive to this antibacterial agent (MIC 0,031mg/L). The majority (66,1%) of MRSA strains with reduced susceptibility to triclosan demonstrated the same antimicrobial resistance pattern. Reduced susceptibility to triclosan was observed in 8 from 9 high - level mupirocin resistant strains, but the most of MRSA strains with reduced triclosan susceptibility (91,5%) were found among fusidic acid resistant strains.     

Influence of an extended incubation period on values of minimum inhibitory concentrations of antibiotics in Stenotrophomonas maltophilia clinical strains

In 106 Stenotrophomonas maltophilia clinical strains the susceptibility to 19 kinds of antibiotics was tested by the broth dilution micromethod at 24 h and 48 h incubation. Isolated strains demonstrated the lowest frequency of resistance to cotrimoxazole (7.5% of resistant strains at 24 h incubation and 18.9% at 48 h), ofloxacin (13.2% and 30.2%), ciprofloxacin (19.8% and 50.9%) and to cefoperazone/sulbactam (20.8% and 37.7%). The smallest growth of the number of resistant strains after extended incubation was recorded in gentamicin (by 10.4%), ceftazidime (by 11.3%) and cotrimoxazole (by 11.4%). On the contrary, the largest growth of resistance was demonstrated in cefoperazone and ciprofloxacin (by 31.1%). Average values of the growth of minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) were lowest in ciprofloxacin and ofloxacin (2.3 times) and highest in piperacillin/tazobactam (4.5 times) and piperacillin (5.0 times). As far as the stability of MIC is concerned, the largest occurrence of strains with the MIC growth doubled as a maximum was found in ceftazidime (78.4%), ofloxacin (76.1%) and ciprofloxacin (75.3%), the smallest in piperacillin/tazobactam (43.2%) and piperacillin (38.9%). The importance of incubation extended to 48 h during the testing of S. maltophilia strains was noted for correctly setting their susceptibility to antibiotics.     

肠杆菌新解释标准指导临床用药的实用性

采用新旧肠杆菌的2种解释标准,分析肠杆菌的耐药性,比较2种解释标准的临床意义。收集本院2009至2010两年临床分离的912株大肠埃希菌、328株肺炎克雷伯菌,用Kirby-Bauer法作药敏试验,用WO-NET5.4软件先设置CLSI推荐的旧的肠杆菌解释标准,分析耐药性。再设置CLSI推荐的新的肠杆菌解释标准[1]修改头孢曲松、头孢他啶、头孢噻肟、氨曲南和亚胺培南的解释标准,分析其耐药性。用肠杆菌旧的解释标准分析常规检测分离出的大肠埃希菌236株产酶株;肺炎克雷伯66株产酶株;产酶株比非产酶株的耐药率高。用新的头孢菌素和氨曲南的解释标准:对于大肠埃希菌头孢曲松的耐药率提高5.2%;头孢他啶提高10.4%;头孢噻肟提高10.2%;氨曲南提高7.1%;对于肺炎克雷伯菌头孢曲松的耐药率提高6.7%;头孢他啶提高4.3%;头孢噻肟提高10.1%;氨曲南提高2.5%;未向临床报产酶株。采用碳青霉烯类抗生素新的解释标准大肠埃希菌和肺炎克雷伯菌对亚胺培南的耐药分别提高了0.4%和0.6%,对美罗培南的耐药率分别提高了0.2%和0.6%。新的肠杆菌解释标准更能客观分析肠杆菌的耐药性,对指导临床合理用药,控制耐药株的蔓延更具实用价值。     

Physiological characteristics ofClostridium bifermentans selectively isolated from California desert tortoise

A selective agar medium containing cycloserine (250 mg/L), sulfamethoxazole (76 mg/L), and trimethoprim (4 mg/L) was used for isolation ofClostridium bifermentans from the intestinal contents of California desert tortoise. Typical lecithinase positive colonies that appeared on the plates, were biochemically characterized with the API 20A System and a conventional procedure. The susceptibility of the isolates to 12 antimicrobial agents was determined by the broth microtitration technique using the ANA MIC System.C. bifermentans strains were shown to be highly susceptible to cefoxitin, cefotetan, ceftizoxime, cefotaxime, chloramphenicol, clindamycin, penicillin, metronidazole, piperacillin, ticarcillin, and mezlocillin. Less than 10% of the isolates exhibited resistance to tetracycline. All strains were found to be highly resistant to cycloserine, sulfamethoxazole, and trimethoprim. The GLC analysis of the culture supernatants for volatile fatty acids revealed the presence of formic, acetic, isobutyric, butyric, isovaleric, and isocaproic acids.     

A novel large plasmid carrying multiple beta-lactam resistance genes isolated from a Klebsiella pneumoniae strain

Klebsiella pneumoniae clinical isolates were selected according to the results of antibiotic susceptibility tests. Most of them were resistant to multiple antibiotics, including ampicillin, ceftazidime, cefotaxime and aminoglycosides. Large plasmids were observed in these Kl. pneumoniae strains by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis with S1 nuclease digestion. The Kl. pneumoniae strains investigated produced one to two extrachromosomal bands with a mobility corresponding to 97 approximately 145 kbp linear DNA molecules. A 100 kbp plasmid, designated pK1, was observed in the multiply resistant strain K250. pK1 had sequences homologous to both the TEM-1 and the aphD probe which were associated with beta-lactam and aminoglycoside resistance. pK1 was transformed into Escherichia coli strain DH5alpha and was found to confer resistance to ampicillin, ceftazidime, cefotaxime and kanamycin. A 8 kbp BamHI DNA fragment of pK1 that carried the ampicillin resistance gene (minimum inhibitory concentration > 1000 microgram ml-1) was cloned into the BamHI site of pACYC184. Sequence determination showed that this cloned fragment carried a TEM-1 gene. These findings suggest that pK1 is novel in that it appears to carry genes for resistance to ampicillin, cefotaxime and ceftazidime, as well as kanamycin.     

The relationships and susceptibilities of some industrial, laboratory and clinical isolates of Pseudomonas aeruginosa to some antibiotics and biocides

AIMS: To provide evidence to support or refute the hypothesis that cross-resistance between antibiotics and biocides can occur. METHODS AND RESULTS: Fifty-five strains of Pseudomonas aeruginosa were tested for their resistance to anti-pseudomonal antibacterials. Twenty clinical, 19 industrial and 16 culture collection isolates were used. The MIC was found for the antibiotics amikacin, ceftazidime, ciprofloxacin, gentamycin, ticarcillin, tobramycin, imipenem and polymyxin B. The MIC was also found for the biocides benzalkonium chloride and chlorhexidine. The analysis of the data was based on the production of a normal distribution of the log (MIC) plots for each antimicrobial. Strains were then labelled as resistant, intermediate or sensitive based on the mean and standard deviation of the distributions. CONCLUSIONS: In general the clinical isolates were the most recalcitrant organisms, with the industrial isolates being the most sensitive. SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY: The work shows that antibiotic/biocide correlations do occur, especially with clinical strains. That such correlations were not found with industrial isolates suggests that the clinical environment is responsible for the correlation. We could infer that it is the selective pressure of antibiotic usage that differentiates the clinical environment from the industrial.     

Incidence of alginate-coding gene in carbapenem-resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa strains

Pseudomonas aeruginosa rods are one of the most common isolated opportunistic nosocomial pathogens. Strains usually are capable to secret a capsule-like polysaccharide called alginate important for evasion of host defenses, especially during chronic pulmonary disease of patients with cystic fibrosis. Most genes for alginate biosynthesis and lysis are encoded by the operon. The aim of our study was to evaluate the incidence of algD sequence, generally use for alginate-coding gene detection, in 120 P. aeruginosa strains resistant to carbapenems. All isolates were obtained in the Department of Clinical Microbiology University Hospital no. 1 of dr A. Jurasz Collegium Medicum of L. Rydygier in Bydgoszcz Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń. Examined strains demonstrated resistance to carbenicillin (90,0%), ticarcillin (89,2%) and ticarcillin clavulanate (86,7%). All strains were susceptible to colistin. The majority of examined strains was susceptible to ceftazidime and cefepime (40,8% each) and norfloxacin (37,5%). Presence of algD gene - noted in 112 (93,3%) strains proves that not every strain is capable to produce alginate. It was also found out that differences in algD genes incidence in case of different clinical material that strains were isolated from were not statistically important.     

圈养猕猴志贺氏菌的分离鉴定及药敏分析

目的确定猕猴感染志贺氏菌的状况,寻找有效治疗措施。方法采用不同选择培养基对13份病猴粪便样品进行分离培养、细菌革兰氏染色、镜检,并对分离的疑似菌株进行细菌生化鉴定和分子鉴定,经小白鼠致病性实验后,再用纸片扩散法测定分离菌株对23种抗生素的敏感性。结果从13份猕猴粪便样品中共检出12株志贺氏菌,检出率为92.31%,其中痢疾志贺菌(A群)1株、福氏志贺菌(B群)10株、宋内氏志贺菌(D群)1株;致病性试验结果表明,12株菌均能在72h内致死小白鼠,并能回收到注射的菌株;药敏试验结果表明,本实验中分离到的志贺氏菌对头孢噻肟(86.49%)最敏感,对头孢三嗪(75.00%)、头孢他啶(66.67%)次之,对多粘菌素B、羧苄西林、苄唑西林素等抗生素耐药性强。结论初步确定猕猴感染志贺氏菌普遍存在,进而引起腹泻、痢疾的可能性较大,头孢噻肟等为最敏感药物。     

Characteristics of clinical<Emphasis Type="Italic">Acinetobacter</Emphasis> spp. strains

Resistance to 13 antimicrobial agents, resistance to the bactericidal activity of human serum, hydrophobic properties, lipolytic activity and production of histamine were determined in a total of 50 clinicalAcinetobacter spp. strains (A. baumannii, A. lwoffii, A. calcoaceticus, A. haemolyticus). None of the tested isolates showed resistance to meropenem and none ofA. lwoffii, A. calcoaceticus andA. haemolyticus strains were resistant to amikacin. Forty-six strains (92 %) manifested resistance to ampicillin, 90 % to cefuroxime, 68 % to ciprofloxacin, 58 % to piperacillin, gentamicin and cotrimaxazole, 50 % to cefotaxime, 44 % to amikacin, 42 % to ceftazidime, 38 % to piperacillin/tazobactam, 24 % to netilmicin and 16 % to ampicillin/sulbactam. In particular,A. baumannii andA. calcoaceticus strains showed considerable antibiotic resistance. Thirty-one isolates (62 %) showed serum resistance; intermediate sensitivity was found in 19 isolates (38 %). The majority of the strains (72 %) demonstrated a strongly hydrophobic character; 16 % of isolates exhibited moderate hydrophobic properties. All strains showed lipolytic activity; production of histamine was detected in 14 of 43 strains examined.     

Detection of cefotaxime-resistant CTX-M-3 in clinical isolates of<Emphasis Type="Italic">Serratia marcescens</Emphasis>

Strains of Serratia marcescens (isolated in a hospital during April and August 2000) resistant to ampicillin, chloramphenicol, trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole, streptomycin, tetracycline, and gentamicin were characterized. Out of a total of 34 clinical isolates 6 (17.6 %) exhibited the extended spectrum beta-lactamases (ESBL) resistance; they were also resistant to cefotaxime (minimum inhibitory concentration, MIC > or = 128 microg/mL) but susceptible to imipenem (MIC < or = 0.5 microg/mL). This multidrug resistance was shown to be transferred by a conjugative plasmid. Transconjugants revealed similar MIC profiles when compared to the parental strains. Isoelectric focusing revealed one major transferable beta-lactamase (pI 8.4) which was further identified as CTX-M-3 by PCR and gene sequencing. The presence of strains with this type of ESBL showed the evolution of bla genes and their dissemination among at least three species of the family Enterobacteriaceae isolated within a single hospital. The predominance of CTX-M type enzymes found in this area of Taiwan appeared to be similar to that described in Poland.     

Antibiotic resistance among anaerobic Gram-negative bacilli: lessons from a French multicentric survey

Temporal changes of antibiotic susceptibilities among anaerobes in France are followed in our laboratory since 1992. For Bacteroides strains, resistance increased from 1992 to 1998 for amoxicillin-clavulanic acid, cefotetan and clindamycin. The present study evaluates the situation in 2000 for 434 Gram-negative anaerobic clinical isolates (obtained from 9 large university hospitals) by testing amoxicillin and ticarcillin alone or combined with clavulanic acid, cefoxitin, cefotetan, imipenem, clindamycin and metronidazole (using the NCCLS-approved method for MIC determination. The main genera tested included Bacteroides (359 strains of the fragilis group), Prevotella (40 strains), Fusobacterium (23 strains) and miscellaneous species (8 strains). Resistance rates within the B. fragilis group were: amoxicillin-clavulanic acid 5.6%, ticarcillin 33%, ticarcillin-clavulanic acid 2%, cefoxitin 13%, cefotetan 44%, clindamycin 33%, imipenem 1% and metronidazole <1%, respectively. Only one strain of B. fragilis was resistant to metronidazole (MIC=64 mg/L); due to the presence of the nimA gene on the chromosome. Resistance to imipenem or metronidazole was only found among the B. fragilis species. These two former drugs excepted, B. fragilis was less resistant to antibiotics than the other species. beta-lactamase production was detected for 357/359 strains of the fragilis group, 26/40 stains of Prevotella and 3/23 strains of Fusobacterium. Dynamic changes of antibacterial resistance are occurring within the B. fragilis group: decreased resistance to amoxicillin-clavulanic acid, ticarcillin-clavulanic acid, imipenem while resistance for cefoxitin, cefotetan, clindamycin continues to increase. Regular antibiotic surveys are needed as a source of information to guide the empirical therapy of anaerobic infections.     

嗜麦芽寡养单胞菌临床分布特征与耐药分析

目的了解湖州市中心医院嗜麦芽寡养单胞菌临床分布特征与耐药性。方法采用常规方法分离,用VITE-COMPACT2全自动微生物分析仪进行菌种鉴定,用K—B法进行药敏试验。结果分离到嗜麦芽寡养单胞菌810株,复方新诺明耐药菌株48株（分离率5．9％）。标本来源主要来自ICU室,其次呼吸科,大部分来自痰液标本（约占89．2％）,年龄段以中老年人比率最高。嗜麦芽寡养单胞菌对亚胺培南、美罗培南、头孢吡肟、哌拉西彬他坐巴坦、庆大霉素、妥布霉素、阿米卡星高度耐药;头孢他啶、替卡西林／克拉维酸、环丙沙星耐药率为33．7％～58．2％;头孢哌酮／舒巴坦、左氧氟沙星、米诺环素、复方新诺明耐药率低于30．0％。复方新诺明耐药菌株对头孢哌酮／舒巴坦、左氧氟沙星和米诺环素耐药率分别为60．4％、91．7％和2．0％,对其余抗菌药物耐药率达100．0％。复方新诺明耐药菌株与复方新诺明敏感菌株相比,耐药情况更严重,其中对三、四代头孢菌素、喹诺酮类耐药率显著高于复方新诺明敏感菌株（P〈0．01）;对碳青霉烯类、青霉素类、氨基糖苷类抗菌药物耐药率与复方新诺明敏感菌株相比,差异无统计学意义（P〉0．05）。结论嗜麦芽寡养单胞菌呈高度耐药,对头孢哌酮／舒巴坦、左氧氟沙星、米诺环素、复方新诺明尚敏感,但对复方新诺明耐药的嗜麦芽寡养单胞菌耐药现象更严重。应重视嗜麦芽寡养单胞菌引起的院内感染,尽量减少不必要的侵人性操作,加强抗菌药物的合理规范使用。     

Antimicrobial susceptibility of some streptococci strains of anginosus group isolated from oral and maxillofacial infections

Streptococci strains of the anginosus group isolated from various oral and maxillofacial infections (OMF) were screened for their susceptibility to the following antimicrobial agents: benzylpenicillin, ampicillin, oxacillin, cephalothin, ceftazidime, cefotaxime, cefuroxime, erythromycin, clindamycin, tetracycline, chloramphenicol, vancomycin and trimethoprime-sulphamethoxazole. The isolates were susceptable to: clindamycin, chloramphenicol, vancomycin and all beta-lactam antibiotics, except ceftazidime to which 54.5% of the strains showed intermediate susceptibility. Intermediate susceptibility to tetracycline was found in 11.3% of the strains, whereas resistance to the same antibiotic was demonstrated in 61.4%. Resistance to erythromycin and trimethoprime-sulphamethoxazole was of 2.3% for both. In conclusion, penicillin is the drug of choice in infections caused by streptococci of the anginosus group.     

In vitro effect of subinhibitory concentrations of ceftazidime and meropenem on the serum sensitivity of Pseudomonas aeruginosa strains

The aim of this study was to determine the effect of subminimal inhibitory concentrations (subMICs) of ceftazidime, meropenem and gentamicin on the in vitro serum sensitivity of Pseudomonas aeruginosa strains isolated from a variety of isolation sites at two medical wards and an intensive care unit in a government university hospital in Croatia. A total of 20 serum-resistant P aeruginosa strains isolated from different clinical specimens were selected. Bacteria were exposed to 1/2, 1/4, 1/8, 1/16, and 1/32 x MIC of each antibiotic tested. Sensitivity of P. aeruginosa strains to bactericidal activity of normal human serum before and after bacterial exposure to subMICs was determined. Significant difference in serum sensitivity of the strains was observed after the bacteria were exposed to subMICs of ceftazidime and meropenem (p < 0.01), while the exposure to subMICs of gentamicin did not affect significantly the resistance of tested strains to the serum bactericidal activity. Comparing the number of serum-resistant strains before and after exposure to subMICs of antibiotics, statistically significant differences were determined (p < 0.01) after exposure of the strains to 1/2, 1/4, 1/8 and 1/16 x MIC of meropenem, and after exposure to 1/2, 1/4 and 1/8 x MIC of ceftazidime. SubMICs of ceftazidime and meropenem affected not only the resistance to serum bactericidal activity of bacteria, but also their morphology. The alterations in bacterial morphology caused by subMICs of ceftazidime and meropenem could be connected with consecutive bacterial serum sensitivity.