title: Evolution of resistance patterns and identification of risk factors for Streptococcus pneumoniae colonisation in daycare centre attendees in Athens, Greece.
abstract: Two cross-sectional surveillance studies were conducted during the winters of 2000 and 2003 in Athens, Greece, to obtain nasopharyngeal swabs from healthy pre-school children attending kindergartens. A total of 460 strains were examined in 2000 and 485 strains in 2003, with carriage rates of 31.7% and 34.6%, respectively. Susceptibility patterns were evaluated for penicillin G, erythromycin, ceftriaxone, moxifloxacin, linezolid and telithromycin. Penicillin non-susceptibility increased from 20% to 34.9%, whereas erythromycin non-susceptibility increased from 23% to 30.5%. Resistance to both agents climbed from 7.5% to 22.3% (P<0.001). No isolates were found to be resistant to any of the other antimicrobial agents. Risk factors for carriage and/or antimicrobial resistance were also assessed.
authors.affiliation: Fourth Department of Internal Medicine, Athens University School of Medicine, University General Hospital Attikon, 1 Rimini Street, 124 62 Chaidari, Greece.
authors.forename: Katerina
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Volonakis
authors.forename: Maria
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Souli
authors.forename: Anastassios
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kapaskelis
authors.forename: Fotini
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Baziaka
authors.forename: Vassilios
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Grammelis
authors.forename: Panayiotis D
authors.initials: PD
authors.lastname: Ziakas
authors.forename: Helen
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Giamarellou
mesh_terms: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000494:pharmacology* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D002353:Carrier State / Q000382:microbiology*; D002656:Child Day Care Centers; D002675:Child, Preschool; D024901:Drug Resistance, Multiple, Bacterial; D019143:Evolution, Molecular; D006115:Greece / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D008826:Microbial Sensitivity Tests; D009305:Nasopharynx / Q000382:microbiology*; D012307:Risk Factors; D013296:Streptococcus pneumoniae / Q000187:drug effects*
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents