title: Susceptibility of Streptococcus pneumoniae to penicillin, azithromycin and telithromycin (PROTEKT 1999-2003).
abstract: Isolates of Streptococcus pneumoniae collected over the first 4 years of the PROTEKT study were tested for susceptibility to penicillin, azithromycin and telithromycin. A total of 20,750 isolates were collected from 39 countries. Penicillin non-susceptibility rates were stable over the study period; overall, 21.8% of isolates were resistant. Azithromycin resistance increased from 31.0% in Year 1 to 36.3% in Year 4. Resistance rates for penicillin and azithromycin varied between countries and were highest in France, Spain, South Africa, USA and the Far East. Multidrug resistance in S. pneumoniae did not change significantly over the 4 years, with an overall rate of 38.6%. Telithromycin retained good activity against S. pneumoniae (0.1% of isolates resistant), including multidrug-resistant isolates.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Microbiology, University of Genoa Medical School, Largo Rosanna Benzi 10, 16132 Genoa, Italy. giancarlo.schito@unige.it
authors.forename: G C
authors.initials: GC
authors.lastname: Schito
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Felmingham
mesh_terms: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D017963:Azithromycin / Q000494:pharmacology*; D024901:Drug Resistance, Multiple, Bacterial; D014943:Global Health; D006801:Humans; D048628:Ketolides / Q000494:pharmacology*; D008826:Microbial Sensitivity Tests; D010406:Penicillins / Q000494:pharmacology*; D011008:Pneumococcal Infections / Q000382:microbiology; D013296:Streptococcus pneumoniae / Q000187:drug effects*
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D048628:Ketolides; D010406:Penicillins; D017963:Azithromycin; C106791:telithromycin