title: Nutritionally variant streptococcal infections at a University Hospital in Taiwan: disease emergence and high prevalence of beta-lactam and macrolide resistance.
abstract: From January 1993 to December 2002, 28 patients with nutritionally variant streptococci (NVS) infections were treated at a university hospital in Taiwan. Twelve (43%) of these patients had various underlying malignancies, and 7 (25%) had underlying valvular heart diseases. Nine patients (32%) had infective endocarditis, and 9 (32%) had primary bacteremia. The deaths of 7 patients (25%) were directly related to NVS infection. Among the 28 isolates recovered from these patients, 50% were not susceptible to penicillin, 33% were not susceptible to cefotaxime, and 93% were not susceptible to azithromycin.
authors.affiliation: Department of Laboratory Medicine, National Taiwan University Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Chung-Hsin
authors.initials: CH
authors.lastname: Liao
authors.forename: Lee-Jene
authors.initials: LJ
authors.lastname: Teng
authors.forename: Po-Ren
authors.initials: PR
authors.lastname: Hsueh
authors.forename: Yu-Chi
authors.initials: YC
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Li-Min
authors.initials: LM
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.forename: Shan-Chwen
authors.initials: SC
authors.lastname: Chang
authors.forename: Shen-Wu
authors.initials: SW
authors.lastname: Ho
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D017963:Azithromycin / Q000494:pharmacology; D002439:Cefotaxime / Q000494:pharmacology; D002648:Child; D024881:Drug Resistance, Bacterial; D005260:Female; D006785:Hospitals, University; D006801:Humans; D018942:Macrolides / Q000494:pharmacology*; D008297:Male; D008826:Microbial Sensitivity Tests; D008875:Middle Aged; D013290:Streptococcal Infections / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000382:microbiology*; D013291:Streptococcus / Q000187:drug effects*; D013624:Taiwan; D018440:beta-Lactam Resistance
chemical_list: D018942:Macrolides; D017963:Azithromycin; D002439:Cefotaxime