Resistance pattern of Streptococcus pneumoniae in children during a four-year period in Greece

The resistance pattern of 432 Streptococcus pneumoniae strains isolated fro m children with various infections over a 4-year period (1992-1995) was det ermined. The rates of resistance to penicillin, chloramphenicol. tetracycli ne, trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole, erythromycin, clindamycin, cefotaxime, a nd vancomycin were 10%, 2.8%, 4.6%, 4.9%, 4.4%, 2.5%, 0.9%, and 0%, respect ively. All strains not susceptible to penicillin were intermediately suscep tible to penicillin(MIC >0.06-less than or equal to 1 mu g/ml). Isolates no t susceptible to penicillin were encountered significantly more often in ch ildren with localized infections than in those with invasive disease: these isolates displayed significantly lower susceptibility to non-beta-lactam a gents as compared with their penicillin-susceptible counterparts.