Nearly One-Third of Streptococcus Pneumoniae Are Resistant to Newer Antibiotics

Study in Doctor's Office Patients Points to Resistance Rates in Children

Source

University Hospitals Health System

Forums

Related Articles

CLEVELAND, Sept. 25, 1998 -- Investigators at the 38th Annual Interscience Conference on Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy will present data about the activity of commonly prescribed antibiotics against strains of resistant and susceptible Streptococcus pneumoniae. Drugs studied include: penicillin, ampicillin, amoxicillin, amoxicillin/clavulanate, azithromycin, cefaclor, cefixime, cefprozil, ciprofloxacin, clarithromycin, cefuroxime and loracarbef.

Researchers studied nearly 1,500 strains of S. pneumoniae collected by U.S. community-based physicians. Children aged two years or under provided half of the strains of S. pneumoniae. Considerable differences by age, region and disease were shown in this study. The study revealed that children with otitis media in the Southeast and South central regions had the highest prevalence of penicillin-intermediate or -resistant S. pneumoniae.

In this study, in which researchers gathered samples from doctors' offices, about one-third of all strains of S. pneumoniae were resistant to the newer, broad-spectrum antibiotics azithromycin, clarithromycin, cefprozil and cefuroxime. Amoxicillin/clavulanate, an antibiotic used for more than 14 years, proved to be the most active antibiotic against S. pneumoniae.

Among their results, the researchers found that:

• Half of S. pneumoniae strains were penicillin-susceptible;
• Almost one-third of all S. pneumoniae and two-thirds of penicillin-resistant strains were resistant to azithromycin and clarithromycin;
• Amoxicillin and Amoxicillin/clavulanate were the most active oral agents against S. pneumoniae.

"A significant number of strains of bacteria collected were from patients under the age of two, which is the population most likely to have ear infections. Our results indicate the importance of understanding resistance to specific antibiotics," said Michael R. Jacobs, M.D., Ph.D., Head of Clinical Microbiology at University Hospitals of Cleveland and Professor at Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH. "The results also suggest the need to reevaluate the use of newer, broad-spectrum antibiotics against these common bacteria."

The rise in antibiotic resistance among the common disease-producing organism S. pneumoniae supports the concern within the health care community about accurate diagnosis of bacterial infections and appropriate prescribing of antibiotics.

University Hospitals Health System is the region's premier heath care delivery system, serving patients at more than 100 locations in 40 Northern Ohio communities. Included is a network of physicians, outpatient centers and hospitals; wellness programs, occupational health, skilled nursing, elder health, rehabilitation services and home care; and managed care and insurance.

The System includes: the region's largest network of primary care physicians; the region's largest number of ambulatory care centers; Rainbow Babies & Children's Hospital, one of the world's renowned pediatric hospitals; Ireland Cancer Center, Northern Ohio's only National Cancer Institute- designated Comprehensive Cancer Center; MacDonald Women's Hospital, Ohio's only hospital for women; and the region's leading provider of mental and behavioral health services.

University Hospitals Health System's tertiary medical center, University Hospitals of Cleveland, is the primary affiliate of Case Western Reserve University. Together, they form the largest center for biomedical research in the State of Ohio.

CONTACT: Sara Hart or Eileen Korey, 216-844-3825, both of University Hospitals of Cleveland; or George Stamatis of Case Western Reserve University, 216-368-3635, all for University Hospitals Health System