Decreased susceptibility to extended-spectrum cephalosporins of a penicillin-susceptible Streptococcus pneumoniae in meningitis.
A 69-year-old woman was admitted to the hospital with meningitis due to Streptococcus pneumoniae. The strain was susceptible to penicillin but intermediate to cefotaxime. In Europe the decrease of susceptibility generally pertains more to penicillin than to cefotaxime. Such a strain is perhaps a forewarning of the existence of high-level cephalosporin-resistant strains. Despite the possible detection of the resistance by oxacillin disk, it underlines the need to determine the MICs of different beta-lactams without delay and to choose the most efficient treatment.
De Champs
C
C
Service de Bactériologie, Faculté de Médecine, Clermont-Ferrand, France. christophe.dechamps@u-clermont1.fr
Constantin
J M
JM
Bonnet
R
R
Guelon
D
D
Goldstein
F
F
Sirot
J
J
D000368:Aged; D018550:Cephalosporin Resistance; D002511:Cephalosporins / Q000494:pharmacology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008586:Meningitis, Pneumococcal / Q000382:microbiology*; D010406:Penicillins / Q000494:pharmacology; D013296:Streptococcus pneumoniae / Q000187:drug effects*
D002511:Cephalosporins; D010406:Penicillins