HIGH-RATE OF ERYTHROMYCIN AND CLARITHROMYCIN RESISTANCE AMONG STREPTOCOCCUS-PNEUMONIAE ISOLATES FROM BLOOD CULTURES FROM PROVIDENCE, RI

Four (5%) of 81 recent isolates of Streptococcus pneumoniae from the b lood of adult patients but no isolates from pediatric patients (n = 51 ) were resistant (MIC, greater-than-or-equal-to mug/ml) to erythromyci n. The MICs of clarithromycin were slightly lower than those of erythr omycin, but there was complete cross-resistance. Routine testing and s urvelliance are needed to determine whether erythromycin resistance am ong S. pneumoniae isolates is increasing throughout the United States.