Sy. Anagonou et al., BACTERIAL-RESISTANCE TO ANTIBIOTICS IN-HO SPITAL PRACTICE - A DISTURBING REALITY IN THE TROPICS - CHNU-DE-COTONOU IN BENIN, MARCH DECEMBER 1992, Bulletin de la Societe de pathologie exotique et de ses filiales, 87(4), 1994, pp. 223-225
Eleven antibiotics were tested against 1,194 Gram negative bacilli iso
lated from urinary tract infections at the National University Hospita
l Center at Cotonou. Among the betalactams tested, only cefotaxime rem
ained active against most of the bacteria tested: 90 % of the strains
of Escherichia coli and 75 % of the strains of Enterobacter cloacae we
re sensitive. Ampicilline, on the other hand, had lost its activity ev
en on strains which are usually the most susceptible. Thirteen percent
of the E. coli strains were sensitive. This reduction in antibiotic a
ctivity against bacterial strains in Cotonou, which concerned to vario
us degrees the tetracyclines, chloramphenicol, cotrimoxazole, is less
pronounced for the aminosides (gentamicine and netilmicine), and the q
uinolones of which nalidixique acid was active against 83.9% of the st
rains of E. coli. The low frequency of isolation of wild type strains
(sensitive to betalactams) is probably the consequence of strong selec
tion pressure due to a massive, and uncontrolled use of antibiotics in
Cotonou.