M. Mthwalo et al., Antibiotic resistance of nasopharyngeal isolates of Streptococcus pneumoniae from children in Lesotho, B WHO, 76(6), 1998, pp. 641-650
Citations number
23
Categorie Soggetti
General & Internal Medicine","Medical Research General Topics
Villages associated with the Lesotho Highlands Development Agency were rand
omized with a bias in favour of larger villages, and children <5 years of a
ge from cluster-randomized households in these villages were chosen for the
assessment of antibiotic resistance in pneumococci. Children of the same a
ge group attending clinics in the capital, Maseru, were selected for compar
ison. Nasopharyngeal cultures of Streptococcus pneumoniae from both groups
of children were examined for antibiotic resistance and a questionnaire was
used to assess risk factors for the acquisition of resistant strains.
Carriage of penicillin- and tetracycline-resistant pneumococci was signific
antly higher among 196 Maseru children compared with 324 rural children (P
< 0.05 and P = 0.01, respectively). Maseru children tended to visit clinics
at an earlier age compared with their rural counterparts. The rural childr
en were less exposed to antibiotics (P < 0.01), were less frequently hospit
alized (P < 0.001), and rarely attended daycare centres (P < 0.001). The ve
ry low incidence of antibiotic resistance in rural Lesotho and the higher i
ncidence in Maseru are in stark contrast with the much higher frequencies f
ound in the Republic of South Africa, many European countries, and the USA.