Nasopharyngeal colonization with penicillin-resistant Streptococcus pneumoniae in Turkish children.
BACKGROUND
Streptococcus pneumoniae is one of the major infectious agents observed in children. In spite of the fact that penicillin is preferred in the treatment of infections caused by S. pneumoniae, there has been a world-wide increase in the frequency of penicillin-resistant S. pneumoniae.


METHODS
One hundred and fifty sick children with a clinical diagnosis of pneumonia, meningitis, acute otitis media, acute sinusitis and septicemia or bacteremia, and 150 healthy children without any infection were examined. Streptococcus pneumoniae, which were isolated from the nasopharynx, were analyzed with respect to penicillin susceptibility using the agar dilution method.


RESULTS
The S. pneumoniae carriage rate was observed to be 43.3% in the group of sick children and 30.0% in the control group (P < 0.05). The penicillin resistance of S. pneumoniae isolated from the nasopharynx was determined to be 35.4% from a total of 110 isolates, with an intermediate resistance of 32.7% and a high resistance of 2.7%. The penicillin resistance of S. pneumoniae carried in the nasopharynx was determined to be 41.5% in the group of sick children and 26.6% in the control group (P > 0.05). Resistance rates of other antibiotics were determined as follows: cefotaxime 2.7%, erythromycin 19%, clarithromycin 5.4%, tetracycline 21.8%, trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole 4.5% and rifampin 0%.


CONCLUSIONS
Penicillin resistance of S. pneumoniae has recently become a problem in Turkey. Because of this, we require new strategies to limit the spread of drug-resistant S. pneumoniae.
Ciftçi
E
E
Ankara University Medical School, Department of Paediatrics, Turkey. erginciftci@doctor.com
Dogru
U
U
Aysev
D
D
Ince
E
E
Güriz
H
H
D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D008826:Microbial Sensitivity Tests; D009297:Nasal Mucosa / Q000382:microbiology; D009305:Nasopharynx / Q000382:microbiology*; D010403:Penicillin Resistance; D010406:Penicillins / Q000627:therapeutic use; D011008:Pneumococcal Infections / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000382:microbiology*; D015995:Prevalence; D013296:Streptococcus pneumoniae / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D014421:Turkey
D010406:Penicillins