title: Antibiotic susceptibility of blood culture isolates of Enterobacteriaceae. A Norwegian multicenter study.
abstract: From May to November 1997 each of six major hospitals throughout Norway collected 72 to 104 consecutive blood culture isolates of Enterobacteriaceae, altogether 563 isolates. Escherichia coli was the predominating organism (69%), followed by Klebsiella spp. (15%), Enterobacter spp. (6%), and Proteus mirabilis (4%). The susceptibility of the isolates to ampicillin, cefuroxime, ceftazidime, imipenem, tobramycin, and ciprofloxacin was determined by the E-test. 37% and 7% of the isolates were resistant to ampicillin and cefuroxime, respectively, and 1% were resistant to ceftazidime and tobramycin. Only one isolate of P. mirabilis was imipenem resistant. All isolates were susceptible to ciprofloxacin. The prevalence of ampicillin-resistant isolates at each hospital varied from 21 to 45%, and of cefuroxime-resistant isolates from 3 to 9%. The results were compared with those of a similar study performed in 1991-1992. No significant changes in the susceptibility to the various agents could be demonstrated. The high frequency of isolates resistant to ampicillin has clearly limited the usefulness of this agent in the treatment of septicemia and other serious infections caused by Enterobacteriaceae.
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology and Immunology, the Gades Institute, Bergen, Norway.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Digranes
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Sjursen
authors.forename: K K
authors.initials: KK
authors.lastname: Melby
authors.forename: C O
authors.initials: CO
authors.lastname: Solberg
mesh_terms: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000494:pharmacology* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D024881:Drug Resistance, Bacterial; D004755:Enterobacteriaceae / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000302:isolation & purification; D004756:Enterobacteriaceae Infections / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000382:microbiology; D006801:Humans; D015337:Multicenter Studies as Topic; D015995:Prevalence
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents