title: Staphylococcus heterogeneously resistant to vancomycin in China and antimicrobial activities of imipenem and vancomycin in combination against it.
abstract: Of 115 methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus strains collected from sputum specimens, 34 strains reduced susceptibility to vancomycin, 9 of which emerged as heterogeneous vancomycin-resistant strains (hetero-VRS), with various degrees of vancomycin resistance at a frequency of 10(-6) or higher. Seventy-six percent (19 of 25) of non-hetero-VRS and 100% (9 of 9) of hetero-VRS were susceptible to synergistic treatment with vancomycin and imipenem. Clinical clearance between 9 hetero-VRS and 25 non-hetero-VRS had an obvious statistical significance (P = 0.001). The hetero-VRS may play an important role in vancomycin therapy failure.
authors.affiliation: Department of Respiratory Medicine, the Third Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yatsen University of Medical Sciences, 510630 Guangzhou, People's Republic of China. wbenquan@public.guangzhou.gd.cn
authors.forename: Wu
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Benquan
authors.forename: Tang
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Yingchun
authors.forename: Zhang
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Kouxing
authors.forename: Zhang
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Tiantuo
authors.forename: Zhu
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Jiaxing
authors.forename: Tan
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Shuqing
mesh_terms: D004359:Drug Therapy, Combination / Q000494:pharmacology*; D015378:Imipenem / Q000494:pharmacology*; D016106:Methicillin Resistance; D008826:Microbial Sensitivity Tests; D013210:Staphylococcus / Q000187:drug effects*; D014640:Vancomycin / Q000494:pharmacology*; D020713:Vancomycin Resistance
chemical_list: D014640:Vancomycin; D015378:Imipenem