Study of antibiotic-resistant Streptococcus pneumoniae strains, isolated in Romania, between 2004–2005

Abstract number: p1775

Pana  M., Ghita  M., Papagheorghe  R., Popescu  N., Nistor  I., Nica  M., Bancescu  G., Andrei  M., Botea  S., Blana  D., Ungureanu  V.

Objective: 

To study the antibiotic resistance in pneumococci isolated last years in Romania.

Methods: 

Four hundred fifty five strains of Streptococcus pneumoniae coming from sputum or tracheal aspirate (TA): N = 249,blood (N = 22), CSF (N = 59), others (sinus, eye fluid, middle ear fluid): N = 125,were collected between 2004–2005 at the National Reference Center for Streptococcus. The isolates were tested for susceptibility (MICs) to the following antibiotics: penicillin(Pc), erythromycin(Em), cefuroxim(Cxm), trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole(Sxt), ofloxacin(Ofx), vancomycin(Va) by standard dilution MIC testing.

Results: 

Interpretative criteria were used according to NCCLS 2002.During the study period penicillin resistant strains of S. pneumoniae was noted as follows: 67% in sputum or TA,19% in blood,12%in CSF,and 75% in others,against cefuroxim resistant strains:15% in sputum or TA,10% in blood,4% in CSF.Regarding the susceptibility to Ofx,penicillin resistant S. pneumoniae strains from sputum or TA revealed 97.9%.The penicillin resistant strains coming from sputum or TA showed resistance as follows; 48% to Em and 78% to Sxt,against strains isolated from others: 58% to Em and 49% to Sxt.No resistant strain to Va was found.

Conclusion: 

The percentage of the penicillin resistant S. pneumoniae isolates from the lower respiratory tract, middle ear fluid, eye fluid and sinus was markedly higher than that of the isolates from blood and CSF. The most efficient drugs against penicillin resistant pneumococci were cefuroxim and ofloxacin. These results from Romania also underline the previous observations regarding the higher emerging rates of resistance in S. pneumoniae worldwide.