EPIDEMIOLOGIC SURVEY OF NEISSERIA-MENINGITIDIS SUSCEPTIBILITY TO PENICILLIN-G IN FRANCE

The susceptibility of 82 strains of Neisseria meningitidis to penicill in G and amoxicillin was evaluated with two media << gonococci-meningo cocci >> medium (G medium) derived from Mueller Hinton and chocolate a gar. Among these 82 strains 52 were isolated from CSF and/or blood and 30 from miscellaneous isolates. G medium was compared with chocolate agar using the correlation between diameters and MIC and the E-test. R outinely standardised antibiogram is still used but the authors added the following techniques 1) MIC of penicillin G is tested (0.06; 0.125 ; 0.250; 0.50 mg/l); 2) use of oxacillin disc charged with 5 mu g. Pen icillinase producing meningococci were not found. Standardised antibio gram on 4192 strains resulted in a modal distribution of diameters bet ween LX to 40 mm. Moderate meningococci susceptible strains to penicil lin G are increasing in France : 1994: 4%; 1995: 11%; 1996: 18%.