High prevalence of acquired antimicrobial resistance unrelated to heavy antimicrobial consumption.
In a very remote rural Bolivian community where the use of antimicrobials has been minimal and where exchanges with the exterior are very limited, 67% of subjects were found to be carriers of fecal Escherichia coli with acquired resistance to >/=1 antimicrobial agent(s); the highest rates were observed for tetracycline (64%), ampicillin (58%), trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole (50%), and chloramphenicol (41%). The most relevant implication of these findings is that, in certain settings, the spread and maintenance of antimicrobial resistance can occur, regardless of whether selective pressure generated by the use of antimicrobials is present.
Bartoloni
Alessandro
A
Dipartimento di Area Critica Medico Chirurgica, Clinica di Malattie Infettive, Universita di Firenze, Florence, Italy. bartolonia@ao-careggi.toscana.it.
Bartalesi
Filippo
F
Mantella
Antonia
A
Dell'Amico
Emanuela
E
Roselli
Mimmo
M
Strohmeyer
Marianne
M
Barahona
Herlan Gamboa
HG
Barrón
Virgilio Prieto
VP
Paradisi
Franco
F
Rossolini
Gian Maria
GM
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001838:Bolivia / Q000453:epidemiology; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D024901:Drug Resistance, Multiple, Bacterial / Q000502:physiology*; D004926:Escherichia coli / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000302:isolation & purification; D004927:Escherichia coli Infections / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000382:microbiology*; D005243:Feces / Q000382:microbiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D008826:Microbial Sensitivity Tests; D008875:Middle Aged; D015995:Prevalence; D012424:Rural Population