In vitro activity of linezolid against clinical Gram-positive bacterial isolates from Taiwan: an area with a high prevalence of antibiotic resistance

The prevalence of antibiotic-resistant bacteria in Taiwan is due to the hea vy use of antimicrobial agents in both animal husbandry and clinical practi ce over the past decades. Minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) of linez olid were established for 371 clinical isolates of staphylococci, pneumococ ci, enterococci and group A streptococci from Taiwan. All isolates tested i ncluding those resistant to beta -lactams, erythromycin, vancomycin and qui nupristin-dalfopristin were uniformly susceptible to linezolid, with MICs r anging from 0.125 to 2 mg/l. Our data support the observation that there is no cross-resistance between linezolid and other classes of antimicrobial s ubstances. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science B.V. and International Society of Chem otherapy. All rights reserved.