title: Emerging resistance of anaerobic bacteria to antimicrobial agents in South Korea.
abstract: In previous studies, Bacteroides fragilis group organisms isolated from Korean patients were more frequently resistant to various antimicrobial agents, including clindamycin, than were isolates in other countries. A recent report of increased resistance of Peptostreptococcus species prompted us to include such isolates in a study of antimicrobial susceptibility. anaerobes isolated in 1994 at a tertiary care hospital in Seoul were tested by agar dilution method. None of the B. fragilis group organisms were resistant to imipenem, cefoxitin, chloramphenicol, or metronidazole. However, 6.7% were resistant to ampicillin/sulbactam, 20.2% to cefotetan, 30.3% to piperacillin, 48.3% to cefotaxime, and 42.7% to clindamycin. Almost all of the Clostridium perfringens isolates were susceptible to all of the agents tested, except tetracycline. Peptostreptococcus isolates were susceptible to piperacillin, cefotaxime, and imipenem, while 7.4% were resistant to penicillin G, cefotetan, and metronidazole, and 25.9% were resistant to clindamycin. The isolates resistant to penicillin G, cefotetan, and metronidazole were identified as Peptostreptococcus anaerobius. In conclusion, besides the well-known high rate of resistance of B. fragilis group organisms to clindamycin, the emergence of resistance of Peptostreptococcus species isolates to beta-lactam drugs has become obvious in Korea.
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Pathology, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Chong
authors.forename: S H
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Jeong
authors.forename: X S
authors.initials: XS
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.forename: O H
authors.initials: OH
authors.lastname: Kwon
mesh_terms: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000494:pharmacology; D001421:Bacteria, Anaerobic / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000302:isolation & purification; D001424:Bacterial Infections / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000382:microbiology; D001439:Bacteroides / Q000187:drug effects; D001441:Bacteroides fragilis / Q000187:drug effects; D002981:Clindamycin / Q000494:pharmacology; D003016:Clostridium perfringens / Q000187:drug effects; D004352:Drug Resistance, Microbial; D006801:Humans; D007723:Korea / Q000453:epidemiology; D007769:Lactams; D010462:Peptostreptococcus / Q000187:drug effects
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D007769:Lactams; D002981:Clindamycin