title: Prevalence and antibiotic resistance of commensal Streptococcus pneumoniae in nine European countries.
abstract: The human microbiota represents an important reservoir of antibiotic resistance. Moreover, the majority of antibiotics are prescribed in primary care. For this reason, we assessed the prevalence and antibiotic resistance of nasal carriage strains of Streptococcus pneumoniae, the most prevalent bacterial causative agent of community-acquired respiratory tract infections, in outpatients in nine European countries. Nasal swabs were collected between October 2010 and May 2011, from 32,770 patients, recruited by general practices in nine European countries. Overall prevalence of S. pneumoniae nasal carriage in the nine countries was 2.9%. The carriage was higher in men (3.7%) than in women (2.7%). Children (4-9 years) had a higher carriage prevalence (27.2%) compared with those older than 10 years (1.9%). The highest resistance observed was to cefaclor. The highest prevalence of multidrug resistance was found in Spain and the lowest prevalence was observed in Sweden.
authors.affiliation: Maastricht University Medical Centre/CAPHRI, Maastricht, The Netherlands.|Department of Medical Microbiology, Haga Hospital, The Hague, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Rachid Y
authors.initials: RY
authors.lastname: Yahiaoui
authors.affiliation: Maastricht University Medical Centre/CAPHRI, Maastricht, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Casper Dj
authors.initials: CDj
authors.lastname: den Heijer
authors.affiliation: NIVEL, The Netherlands Institute for Health Services Research, Utrecht, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Evelien Me
authors.initials: EM
authors.lastname: van Bijnen
authors.affiliation: NIVEL, The Netherlands Institute for Health Services Research, Utrecht, The Netherlands.|Department of Primary & Community Care, Radboud University Nijmegen Medical Centre, Nijmegen, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: W John
authors.initials: WJ
authors.lastname: Paget
authors.affiliation: Division of Primary Care, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK.
authors.forename: Mike
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Pringle
authors.affiliation: Vaccine & Infectious Disease Institute, University of Antwerp, Wilrijk, Belgium.
authors.forename: Herman
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Goossens
authors.affiliation: Maastricht University Medical Centre/CAPHRI, Maastricht, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Cathrien A
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Bruggeman
authors.affiliation: NIVEL, The Netherlands Institute for Health Services Research, Utrecht, The Netherlands.|Department of General Practice & Elderly Care Medicine/EMGO+ Institute, VU University Medical Centre, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: François G
authors.initials: FG
authors.lastname: Schellevis
authors.affiliation: Maastricht University Medical Centre/CAPHRI, Maastricht, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Ellen E
authors.initials: EE
authors.lastname: Stobberingh
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D017714:Community-Acquired Infections / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000382:microbiology*; D024901:Drug Resistance, Multiple, Bacterial; D005060:Europe / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008826:Microbial Sensitivity Tests; D008875:Middle Aged; D011008:Pneumococcal Infections / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000382:microbiology*; D015995:Prevalence; D013296:Streptococcus pneumoniae / Q000145:classification / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents
keywords: Streptococcus pneumoniae; antibiotic resistance; nasal swab