title: Nasopharyngeal colonization by Moraxella catarrhalis and study of antimicrobial susceptibility in healthy children from Cuban day-care centers.
abstract: The prevalence of nasopharyngeal carriage of Moraxella catarrhalis was determined for the first time in Cuba. One-hundred fifty healthy children attending three day-care centers in the municipality of Marianao, Havana City were studied. The percentage of recovering bacteria in nasal and pharyngeal swabs was compared. Antimicrobial susceptibilities to ampicillin, trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole, tetracycline, cefotaxime, ceftriaxone, chloramphenicol, erythromycin, azithromycin, amoxicillin/clavulanate, and norfloxacin were determined by the disk diffusion method according to recommendations of the National Committee for Clinical Laboratory Standards. Sixty-five percent of the children studied carried Moraxella catarrhalis. The nasal cavity was the main isolation site for this organism (81% of positive cultures). Most strains were highly susceptible to the antimicrobial agents tested, except to ampicillin (53.6% resistance). This study provides evidence of the need for continued surveillance of antimicrobial susceptibility of Moraxella catarrhali, in order to determine optimal empiric therapy for community-acquired respiratory tract infections produced by this pathogen.
authors.affiliation: Reference National Laboratory of Bacterial Respiratory Infections, Department of Bacteriology-Mycology, Tropical Medicine Institute Pedro Kourí, Havana City, Cuba. dia@ipk.sld.cu
authors.forename: Dianelys
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Quiñones
authors.forename: Rafael
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Llanes
authors.forename: Gilda
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Toraño
authors.forename: Miriam
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Pérez
mesh_terms: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D002648:Child; D002656:Child Day Care Centers; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003462:Cuba / Q000453:epidemiology; D004352:Drug Resistance, Microbial; D006801:Humans; D008826:Microbial Sensitivity Tests; D001936:Moraxella catarrhalis / Q000378:metabolism*; D045828:Moraxellaceae Infections / Q000453:epidemiology; D009305:Nasopharynx / Q000382:microbiology*; D012141:Respiratory Tract Infections / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000382:microbiology
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents