One hundred and seventy-three Streptococcus pneumoniae strains isolated fro
m surveillance studies conducted in daycare centres were studied. The mefE,
erm and tet(M) genes were detected in 16.2, 45.1 and 47.4% of isolates res
pectively. Agreement between PCR results and antibiotic susceptibility patt
erns was 100%. Macrolide resistance was due to the presence of erm in 73.6%
of strains and to the presence of mefE in the remaining 26.4%. All tetracy
cline resistant strains carried the tet(M) gene, erm was associated with te
t(M) in 98.7% of strains, whereas no isolate carrying mefE carried tet(M).
A significant association was found between mefE and serogroup 6 (P < 0.000
5) and between erm and tet(M) and serogroup 19 (P < 0.00001). (C) 1999 Else
vier Science B.V. and International Society of Chemotherapy. All rights res
erved.