Incidence of Staphylococcus aureus with reduced susceptibility to glycopeptides in two French hospitals.
OBJECTIVE
To determine the incidence of Staphylococcus aureus isolates with reduced susceptibility to glycopeptides among all clinical isolates collected consecutively in two French hospitals between November 1998 and April 1999.


METHODS
Methicillin-resistant and -susceptible S. aureus isolates were screened on vancomycin- or teicoplanin-supplemented agar plates. Glycopeptide MICs were determined by the E test procedure with a high inoculum and by an agar dilution technique. Glycopeptide-intermediate S. aureus isolates were identified as homogeneously or heterogeneously resistant to vancomycin by performing population analysis.


RESULTS
Of the 640 isolates recovered from 518 patients, three from the same patient and two from two different patients showed homogeneous or heterogeneous intermediate resistance to vancomycin.


CONCLUSIONS
The incidence of glycopeptide-intermediate S. aureus (homogeneously or heterogeneously resistant) in a non-selected patient population, i.e. regardless of predisposing factors and glycopeptide therapeutics, remains low in the two French hospitals involved in the study, representing 0.6% of isolates.
Reverdy
M E
ME
Laboratoire de Microbiologie, Hôpital Edouard Herriot, Lyon, France.
Jarraud
S
S
Bobin-Dubreux
S
S
Burel
E
E
Girardo
P
P
Lina
G
G
Vandenesch
F
F
Etienne
J
J
D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000494:pharmacology* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D004352:Drug Resistance, Microbial; D018432:Drug Resistance, Multiple; D016521:Electrophoresis, Gel, Pulsed-Field; D005602:France / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D016106:Methicillin Resistance; D008826:Microbial Sensitivity Tests; D008854:Microscopy, Electron; D013203:Staphylococcal Infections / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000382:microbiology; D013211:Staphylococcus aureus / Q000187:drug effects / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D017334:Teicoplanin / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use; D014640:Vancomycin / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use; D020713:Vancomycin Resistance
D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D017334:Teicoplanin; D014640:Vancomycin