ANTIMICROBIAL RESISTANCE OF INVASIVE STREPTOCOCCUS-PNEUMONIAE IN SLOVENIA, 1993-1995

The susceptibility of 108 Streptococcus pneumoniae strains isolated fr om normally sterile body sites during 1993-1995 in Slovenia has been s tudied. Overall resistance to penicillin, erythromycin, trimethoprim-s ulfamethoxazole, cefuroxime, cefaclor and chloramphenicol was 16.6, 0. 9, 26.8, 0, 4.5 and 4.6%, respectively. All penicillin-resistant isola tes (intermediate resistance) mere susceptible to cefotaxime, ceftriax one and vancomycin. Isolates less susceptible to penicillin were also significantly less sensitive to chloramphenicol, cefaclor and trimetho prim-sulfamethoxazole than penicillin-sensitive strains. Pneumococci i solated in children were significantly (p < 0.05) more resistant to tr imethoprim-sulfamethoxazole than those isolated in adults. The study d emonstrated moderate resistance rate of S. pneumoniae to penicillin an d trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole and a low-level resistance rate to ery thromycin, cefaclor and chloramphenicol. No straightforward correlatio n between overall consumption of antibiotics and antimicrobial resista nce was found.