title: High-level aminoglycoside resistance among enterococci: evaluation of an agar screen susceptibility test.
abstract: Seventy-five enterococci from infected (63 isolates) and colonized (12 isolates) patients hospitalized in various divisions of the Policlinico Umberto I, University of Rome, were in vitro studied for high-level resistance (HLR) to gentamicin (HLRG) and streptomycin (HLRS) with adoption of a standard broth dilution and an agar screen test. The employed procedures provided equal results for 100% of the 75 isolates. Of these, 21 (28%) showed HLRG and 43 (57%) HLRS. Combined HLRG and HLRS were found in 18 (24%) isolates, whereas HLRS or HLRG alone were found in 25 (33%) and 3 (4%) isolates respectively. It is concluded that HLR to aminoglycosides may represent a major problem in Italian institutions. Along with other established procedures, the agar screen test employed in the study may be used to detect this antibiotic resistance in enterococci.
authors.affiliation: Patologia Medica II, Policlinico Umberto I, Università degli Studi, La Sapienza, Roma, Italy.
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Nicastri
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Tarasi
authors.forename: U
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Visco Comandini
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Gelfusa
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Di Rosa
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Di Rosa
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Venditti
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Serra
mesh_terms: D004352:Drug Resistance, Microbial; D016983:Enterococcus / Q000187:drug effects*; D005069:Evaluation Studies as Topic; D005839:Gentamicins / Q000494:pharmacology*; D008826:Microbial Sensitivity Tests / Q000379:methods; D013307:Streptomycin / Q000494:pharmacology*
chemical_list: D005839:Gentamicins; D013307:Streptomycin