title: A three year survey of clinical isolates in the United Kingdom and their antimicrobial susceptibility.
abstract: A United Kingdom national survey of clinical isolates and their antimicrobial susceptibility was performed, with 61 participating hospital laboratories, between 1986 and 1989. Each centre used Microbe Base, a commercial suite of micro-computer programs which can record and analyse antimicrobial susceptibility data Informative on 366,853 bacterial isolates and their antimicrobial susceptibility was received from hospital and domiciliary specimens; Candida spp. accounted for a further 9121 isolates. The sites of origin were urine 51%, skin and soft tissue 21%, lower respiratory tract 8%, genital tract 7%, ear, nose and throat 6%, eye 3%, blood 1.5% and faeces 1%. Gram-negative bacteria accounted for 242,307 isolates, the main species were Escherichia coli 48%, Proteus spp. 9%, Pseudomonas spp. 7%, Haemophilus influenzae 6% and Klebsiella spp. 4%. Gram-positive bacteria numbered 124,546 with a predominance of Staphylococcus aureus 42%, beta-haemolytic streptococci 20%, Enterococcus spp. 12%, coagulase negative staphylococci 10% and Streptococcus pneumoniae 5%. All pneumococci were sensitive to penicillin, and methicillin resistant in Staph. aureus was only 2%. Twelve per cent of H. influenzae strains were resistant to ampicillin. There were no significant levels of gentamicin resistance in Gram-negative bacilli.
authors.affiliation: Department of Bacteriology, Royal Hallamshire Hospital, Sheffield, UK.
authors.forename: R C
authors.initials: RC
authors.lastname: Spencer
authors.forename: P F
authors.initials: PF
authors.lastname: Wheat
authors.forename: J T
authors.initials: JT
authors.lastname: Magee
authors.forename: E H
authors.initials: EH
authors.lastname: Brown
mesh_terms: D004352:Drug Resistance, Microbial; D004926:Escherichia coli / Q000187:drug effects; D006090:Gram-Negative Bacteria / Q000187:drug effects*; D006094:Gram-Positive Bacteria / Q000187:drug effects*; D008826:Microbial Sensitivity Tests; D010403:Penicillin Resistance; D012984:Software; D013211:Staphylococcus aureus / Q000187:drug effects; D013997:Time Factors; D006113:United Kingdom