Group B streptococci causing neonatal bloodstream infection: antimicrobial susceptibility and serotyping results from SENTRY centers in the Western Hemisphere.
OBJECTIVE
Group B streptococcal infection is a common cause of neonatal sepsis. Surveillance of antimicrobial susceptibility and serotype frequencies of invasive group B streptococci is important to ensure the effectiveness of therapeutic regimens and to guide vaccine development.


METHODS
Prospective surveillance of neonatal bloodstream infection was performed at all Western Hemisphere sites participating in the SENTRY Program. From January 1997 through December 1999, a total of 122 isolates of bloodstream infections with group B streptococci were collected and sent to the University of Iowa for antimicrobial susceptibility testing and serotyping.


RESULTS
No isolates were resistant to penicillin. More than 25% of isolates from US hospitals and 14% of isolates from Canadian hospitals were erythromycin resistant. Seven percent of isolates from the United States and Canada were resistant to clindamycin. No clindamycin or erythromycin resistance was found among isolates from Latin America. Clindamycin and erythromycin resistance was most frequent among serotype V strains.


CONCLUSIONS
No emerging resistance to penicillin was noted among bloodstream infection isolates of group B streptococci from a broad geographic area; erythromycin and clindamycin resistance was found in the United States and Canada and appeared most frequently among serotype V strains.
Andrews
J I
JI
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Iowa College of Medicine, Iowa City, IA 52242, USA.
Diekema
D J
DJ
Hunter
S K
SK
Rhomberg
P R
PR
Pfaller
M A
MA
Jones
R N
RN
Doern
G V
GV
D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000494:pharmacology; D001769:Blood / Q000382:microbiology; D002170:Canada; D002981:Clindamycin / Q000494:pharmacology; D004352:Drug Resistance, Microbial; D004917:Erythromycin / Q000494:pharmacology; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn / Q000097:blood*; D007843:Latin America; D008826:Microbial Sensitivity Tests; D010406:Penicillins / Q000494:pharmacology; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012703:Serotyping; D013290:Streptococcal Infections / Q000097:blood* / Q000276:immunology; D013292:Streptococcus agalactiae / Q000187:drug effects / Q000276:immunology / Q000502:physiology*; D014481:United States
D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D010406:Penicillins; D002981:Clindamycin; D004917:Erythromycin