COAGULASE-NEGATIVE STAPHYLOCOCCI IN DANISH BLOOD CULTURES - SPECIES DISTRIBUTION AND ANTIBIOTIC SUSCEPTIBILITY

The distribution and antibiotic susceptibility of coagulase-negative s taphylococci (CoNS) isolated from blood cultures was examined in sampl es from hospitals covering most of Denmark. A total of 499 CoNS isolat es were detected in 477 blood cultures from 340 patients and speciated as Staphylococcus epidermidis, 285; Staphylococcus hominis, 61; Staph ylococcus haemolyticus, 43; Staphylococcus warneri, 12; Staphylococcus cohnii, 7; Staphylococcus saprophyticus, 4; Staphylococcus capitis, 2 and Staphylococcus lugdunensis, 1. Seventy-eight isolates could not b e identified to species level and six were Micrococcus spp. In 108 (22 .6%) blood culture sets, more than one CoNS strain were found, as dete cted by species identification, antibiogram and biotyping. Significant ly more blood cultures from patients in university hospitals were draw n from central venous catheters. Comparing university and non-universi ty hospitals, the overall antibiotic susceptibility among CoNS was onl y slightly different, except for methicillin and amikacin. The prevale nce of methicillin-resistant strains was 35.1% in the university hospi tal strains vs. 25.3% in the non-university hospital strains. The over all prevalence of methicillin resistance was 32%. Great geographic var iation in both species distribution and antibiotic resistance was obse rved. The high prevalence of S. epidermidis makes subtyping of this sp ecies important.