[Isolation and drug susceptibility of Staphylococcus epidermidis from respiratory tract].
OBJECTIVE
In order to realize the significance on the isolation and drug susceptibility of S. epidermidis from patients with lower respiratory tract infections.


METHODS
(1) Qualified sputum specimens from inpatients in general wards with lower respiratory tract infections were cultured for bacteria and identification between 1990 and 1996. (2) Drug susceptibility of commonly used antibiotics against isolated S. epidermidis strains was determined by K-B methods or agar dilution method.


RESULTS
(1) Two thousand and six hundred sixty strains of various kinds of bacteria were isolated from 6228 sputum specimens, 257 strains (9.66%) of which were S. epidermidis (ranking the forth). The isolating rate of S. epidermidis was 4.13%. (2) By determining the drug susceptibility of S. epidermidis to 21 commonly used antibiotics, it was found that this bacterium was resistant to all the agents except vancomycin in different levels, and the resistant rate ranged from 15.2% to 98.1%, of which many strains showed multidrug resistance. Vancomycin, imepinem, cefocefin and cefoperazone were relatively sensitive agents tested, the resistant rates being 0, 17.1%, 18.7% and 30.0%, respectively. The resistant rates of all other agents were higher than 48.5%, some of which higher than 80%. The resistant rate of penicillin G was nearly 100%.


CONCLUSIONS
Attention should be paid to the high isolating rate of S. epidermidis in the respiratory tract infections and the high drug resistance in some strains, and the role of this bacterium in the lower respiratory tract infections needs to be studied.
Chen
J
J
Department of Respiratory Medicine, Changzheng Hospital, Shanghai 200003.
Luo
W
W
Xiu
Q
Q
D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D002511:Cephalosporins / Q000494:pharmacology; D004352:Drug Resistance, Microbial; D006801:Humans; D012141:Respiratory Tract Infections / Q000382:microbiology*; D013203:Staphylococcal Infections / Q000382:microbiology*; D013212:Staphylococcus epidermidis / Q000187:drug effects / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D014640:Vancomycin / Q000494:pharmacology*
D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D002511:Cephalosporins; D014640:Vancomycin