DECREASED SUSCEPTIBILITY TO IMIPENEM AMONG PENICILLIN-RESISTANT STREPTOCOCCUS-PNEUMONIAE

We assessed the antimicrobial susceptibilities of 59 penicillin-interm ediate or penicillin-resistant pneumococci. Ail strains were susceptib le to vancomycin and rifampicin. The frequency of strains with decreas ed susceptibility to cefotaxime, chloramphenicol, imipenem and meropen em was 15, 31, 47 and 49% respectively. The high percentage of penicil lin-intermediate or penicillin-resistant Streptococcus pneumoniae with decreased susceptibility to third-generation cephalosporins, chloramp henicol and carbapenems limits the therapeutic options for the treatme nt of invasive pneumococcal infections and particularly of meningitis.