Nasopharyngeal carriage of Streptococcus pneumoniae and Haemophilus influenzae, and antibiotic susceptibilities in children attending day-care centers.

This study had for aim to determine the incidence of nasopharyngeal carriag e and the antibiotic susceptibility of Streptococcus pneumoniae and Haemoph ilus influenzae in children attending daycare centers. In June 1996 and Jun e 1997, nasal swabs were obtained in 521 children bewteen 3 months and 2 ye ars of age, in 16 day-care centers in the North East France. Streptococcus pneumoniae and Haemophilus sp. were found in 48.2% and 44.1% of the childre n respectively (H. influenzae 33.2%, others 10.9%). Among Streptococcus pne umoniae strains, 99.5% were susceptible to rifampicin but only 42.5% were s usceptible to penicillin. Resistance to erythromycin, cotrimoxazole, and do xycyclin was detected in 43.9%, 21.5%, and 22.4%, respectively, in these pe nicillin-susceptible (PS) strains. 57.5% of Streptococcus pneumoniae strain s presented a reduced susceptibility to penicillin (PSDP), and in this grou p, only 2 isolates had an amoxicillin MIC superior to 2 mg/L. When compared to PS strains, PSDP strains presented cross-resistance to the same molecul es with an increased frequency. Resistance of Haemophilus sp. to amoxicilli n was detected in 63.5% of the strains, due to penicillinase production. Th ese strains, however, remained susceptible to amoxicillin-clavulanic acid a nd ceftriaxone. (C) 2000 Editions scientifiques et medicales Elsevier SAS.