EMERGING RESISTANCE OF ANAEROBIC-BACTERIA TO ANTIMICROBIAL AGENTS IN SOUTH-KOREA

In previous studies, Bacteroides fragilis group organisms isolated fro m Korean patients were more frequently resistant to various antimicrob ial agents, including clindamycin, than were isolates in other countri es. A recent report of increased resistance of Peptostreptococcus spec ies prompted us to include such isolates in a study of antimicrobial s usceptibility. Anaerobes isolated in 1994 at a tertiary care hospital in Seoul were tested by an agar dilution method. None of the B. fragil is group organisms were resistant to imipenem, cefoxitin, chlorampheni col, or metronidazole. However, 6.7% were resistant to ampicillin/sulb actam, 20.2% to cefotetan, 30.3% to piperacillin, 48.3% to cefotaxime, and 42.7% to clindamycin. Almost all of the Clostridium perfringens i solates were susceptible to all of the agents tested, except tetracycl ine. Peptostreptococcus isolates were susceptible to piperacillin, cef otaxime, and imipenem, while 7.4% were resistant to penicillin G, cefo tetan, and metronidazole, and 25.9% were resistant to clindamycin. The isolates resistant to penicillin G, cefotetan, and metronidazole were identified as Peptostreptococcus anaerobius. In conclusion, besides t he well-known high rate of resistance of B. fragilis group organisms t o clindamycin, the emergence of resistance of Peptostreptococcus speci es isolates to beta-lactam drugs has become obvious in Korea.