SUSCEPTIBILITY TO BETA-LACTAMS OF HAEMOPH ILUS-INFLUENZAE, STREPTOCOCCUS-PNEUMONIAE AND BRANHAMELLA-CATARRHALIS IN A DISTRICT GENERAL-HOSPITAL DURING BRONCHOPULMONARY INFECTIONS

Most cases of chronic bronchitis infections are due to Haemophilus inf luenzae, Streptococcus pneumoniae and/or Branhamella catarrhalis. The aim of our study was to assess the bacteriological value of amoxicilli n + clavulanic acid which is presumptively administered in such clinic al conditions in the chest medicine department of our hospital. We hav e retrospectively analysed over a four-year period the susceptibility to beta-lactams of 405 strains isolated from 374 patients. The frequen cy of decreased susceptibility to beta-lactams was 17,5 % (28/160) in S. pneumoniae with 29 % (8/28) highly resistant strains. The frequenci es of penicillinase secretion in H. influenzae and B. catarrhalis were 22 % (43/192) and 79 % (42/53) respectively. These figures, which are slightly lower than other French figures, justify our presumptive ant ibiotic therapy (amoxicillin only may be given as a relay in many case s). This study enables us to rationalize the antibiotic therapy and wi ll probably induce decreased costs of the antibiotic therapy in the ch est medicine department.