RESISTANCE TO BETA-LACTAMS AND OTHER ANTIBIOTICS OF PNEUMOCOCCAL STRAINS ISOLATED FROM ACUTE OTITIS-MEDIA - THE FRENCH-NATIONAL-REFERENCE-CENTER STATEMENT 1995-1996

Population and methods. - During 1995 and 1996, 393 and 566 strains of Streptococcus pneumoniae, isolated from acute otitis media, were resp ectively sent to the National Reference Center for Pneumococci by its corresponding centers, Results, - The resistance rates for 1995 and 19 96 were respectively: for penicillin: 65.4 and 70.3% (18.6 and 24.9% o f intermediately resistant strains, 46.8 and 45.4% of fully resistant strains), for erythromycin: 57.5 and 68.5%, for tetracycline: 43.2 and 42.6%, for trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole: 47.5 and 50.9%. Minimal inh ibitory concentrations (MICs) of various betalactams were determined a gainst a representative sample of strains (n = 99). Conclusion, - Amox icillin, cefpodoxime and cefuroxime MICs remained low against numerous penicillin resistant strains, indicating that these three oral antibi otics tin combination with clavulanate for amoxicillin have a useful p otential for the treatment of acute otitis media when risk factors for pneumococcal penicillin-resistant infections are detected (C) 1998 El sevier, Paris.