Nasopharyngeal colonization with penicillin-resistant Streptococcus pneumoniae in Turkish children

Background: Streptococcus pneumoniae is one of the major infectious agents observed in children. In spite of the fact that penicillin is preferred in the treatment of infections caused by S. pneumoniae, there has been a world -wide increase in the frequency of penicillin-resistant S. pneumoniae. Methods: One hundred and fifty sick children with a clinical diagnosis of p neumonia, meningitis, acute otitis media, acute sinusitis and septicemia or bacteremia, and 150 healthy children without any infection were examined. Streptococcus pneumoniae, which were isolated from the nasopharynx, were an alyzed with respect to penicillin susceptibility using the agar dilution me thod. Results: The S. pneumoniae carriage rate was observed to be 43.3% in the gr oup of sick children and 30.0% in the control group (P <0.05). The penicill in resistance of S. pneumoniae isolated from the nasopharynx was determined to be 35.4% from a total of 110 isolates, with an intermediate resistance of 32.7% and a high resistance of 2.7%. The penicillin resistance of S. pne umoniae carried in the nasopharynx was determined to be 41.5% in the group of sick children and 26.6% in the control group (P >0.05). Resistance rates of other antibiotics were determined as follows: cefotaxime 2.7%, erythrom ycin 19%, clarithromycin 5.4%, tetracycline 21.8%, trimethoprim-sulfamethox azole 4.5% and rifampin 0%. Conclusions: Penicillin resistance of S. pneumoniae has recently become a p roblem in Turkey. Because of this, we require new strategies to limit the s pread of drug-resistant S. pneumoniae.