title: Occurrence of antibiotic resistant enterococci in clinical specimens from a pediatric hospital.
abstract: Enterococcal infection has become a major clinical problem and E. faecalis and E. faecium are the most frequently isolated species. However, the isolation of other species (E. casseliflavus, E. gallinarum, E. durans) from clinical materials was reported recently. The aim of this study was to evaluate drug resistance of 97 species of enterococci isolated from clinical specimens of Upper Silesian Health Center of Child and Mother in Katowice. Each strain was tested for susceptibility to vancomycin, teicoplanin, aminoglycosides (gentamycin and streptomycin) and synercid (quinupristine/ dalfopristine) by the E-test method. Fifty three percent of studied enterococci demonstrated high level aminoglycoside resistance (HLAR) (MIC > 1024 microg/ml). Sixty three strains of E. faecalis were sensitive to vancomycin (MIC 1-4 microg/ml), but 5 strains demonstrated low sensitivity (3 strains with MIC = 6 microg/ml and 2 strains with MIC = 24 microg/ml). All studied enterococci were sensitive to teicoplanin (MIC < 2 microg/ml). A high percentage of E. faecium (70%) resistant to synercid was demonstrated (MIC = 2-24 microg/ml). Infection control and monitoring of antibiotic sensitivity among isolated hospital strains may prevent the transmission of resistant strains in a pediatric hospital.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Microbiology, Medical University of Silesia, Katowice, Poland.
authors.forename: Maria
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Rudy
authors.forename: Maria
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Zientara
authors.forename: Tomasz
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Bek
authors.forename: Gayane
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Martirosian
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D024881:Drug Resistance, Bacterial; D016983:Enterococcus / Q000145:classification* / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000302:isolation & purification; D005260:Female; D016908:Gram-Positive Bacterial Infections / Q000382:microbiology*; D006761:Hospitals; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008826:Microbial Sensitivity Tests; D011044:Poland
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents