title: [Increase in erythromycin-resistant Streptococcus pneumoniae in Colombia, 1994-2008].
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Streptococcus pneumoniae is a commonly implicated agent in invasive disease. For infections of S. pneumoniae resistant to b-lactam, macrolides are an alternative treatment. However, resistance to macrolides has increased worldwide as well.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  The frequency of resistance to erythromycin was determined for S. pneumoniae over a 15-year surveillance period, and the resistant isolates were characterized phenotypically and genotypically.
  
  
  METHODS
  Demographic data of the patients, antimicrobial susceptibility and serotypes were analyzed for 3,241 S. pneumoniae isolates recovered between 1994 and 2008. The phenotypes were determined by the double-disc technique and genotypes by PCR (polymerase chain reaction) and PFGE (pulsed field gel electrophoresis). Isolates were recovered from invasive diseases and were provided by national public health laboratories.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Of the 3,241 isolates, 136 were resistant to erythromycin. In the 12-year period between 1994-1996 and 2006-2008, resistance in each 2-year sampling had increased from 2.4% to 6.9% in children under 6 years and from 3.3% to 5.7% in adults. The most common serotypes were 6B (36.8%), 14 (16.9%) and 6A (17.6%). Constitutive phenotype cMLSB was determined in 87 isolates; 82 of these expressed the ermB gene. Phenotype M was determined in 46 isolates; 45 had the mefA gene. An additional three isolates expressed the inducible phenotype (iMLSB), and one expressed the ermB gene. By PFGE, 50 of the isolates were found to be related to international clones--58% were Spain6B-ST90, 26% Spain9V-ST156, 8% Colombia23F-ST338 and 8% Spain23F-ST81.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The increase in erythromycin resistance was primarily related to the mechanism of ribosomal methylation. More than half the cases were congeneric with the clone Spain6B-ST90 that has been circulating in Colombia since 1994.
authors.affiliation: Grupo de Microbiología, Instituto Nacional de Salud, Bogotá, D.C, Colombia. hidalgo.m@javeriana.edu.co
authors.forename: Marylin
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hidalgo
authors.forename: Claudia
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Santos
authors.forename: Carolina
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Duarte
authors.forename: Elizabeth
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Castañeda
authors.forename: Clara Inés
authors.initials: CI
authors.lastname: Agudelo
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000494:pharmacology* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003105:Colombia / Q000453:epidemiology; D016208:Databases, Factual; D024901:Drug Resistance, Multiple, Bacterial / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D018942:Macrolides / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use; D008826:Microbial Sensitivity Tests; D011008:Pneumococcal Infections / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000453:epidemiology*; D011634:Public Health; D012703:Serotyping; D013296:Streptococcus pneumoniae / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D018942:Macrolides