[Antimicrobial susceptibility and resistance patterns of Staphylococcus aureus isolated from patients and carriers in Valdivia city, Chile].
In vitro susceptibility of nosocomial and community acquired strains of Staphylococcus aureus must be periodically evaluated because of its continuous evolution.


OBJECTIVE
To know the antimicrobial susceptibility of S. aureus isolated in Valdivia, to determine the prevalence of methicillin resistance and global patterns of resistance and to compare the evolution of the susceptibility along the years.


METHODS
A total of 278 S. aureus strains were evaluated: 136 obtained from hospitalized patients, 50 belonged to outpatients and 92 to healthy carriers. Antimicrobial agents tested were: penicillin, oxacillin, vancomycin, gentamycin, ciprofloxacin, lincomycin and erythromycin.


RESULTS
Thirty three, 28 and 1.1% of strains isolated from hospitalized, outpatients and carriers, respectively, were methicillin-resistant. Six resistance patterns were found. No vancomycin resistant strain was isolated.


CONCLUSIONS
It is worrisome that 2% of S. aureus strains obtained from hospitalized patients showed intermediate resistance to vancomycin.
Otth R
Laura
L
Instituto de Microbiología Clínica, Universidad Austral de Chile, Chile. lotth@uach.cl
Wilson Sch
Myra
M
Bustamante H
Natalia
N
Fernández J
Heríberto
H
Otth L
Carola
C
D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D002353:Carrier State; D002677:Chile / Q000453:epidemiology; D024901:Drug Resistance, Multiple, Bacterial; D006801:Humans; D008826:Microbial Sensitivity Tests; D015995:Prevalence; D013203:Staphylococcal Infections / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000382:microbiology*; D013211:Staphylococcus aureus / Q000187:drug effects*
D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents