Streptococcus pneumoniae: Epidemiology and patterns of resistance

Publication date: 2 August 2004 Source:The American Journal of Medicine Supplements, Volume 117, Issue 3, Supplement 1 Author(s): Michael R Jacobs Streptococcus pneumoniae is a leading cause of bacterial pneumonia, meningitis, otitis media, and sinusitis; it results in significant morbidity and mortality in patients with pneumonia and meningitis. The pneumococcus is a common colonizing bacterium in the respiratory tract; it is especially common in the respiratory tracts of children, where it is frequently exposed to antimicrobial agents. This exposure can lead to resistance. Penicillin nonsusceptibility is found in nearly 40% of strains causing disease in adults, although often these cases are treatable with appropriate dosing regimens of many oral and parenteral β-lactam agents. In the United States resistance to macrolides is widespread—averaging approximately 28%—but geographically variable, ranging from 23% in the northwest to 30% in the northeast. Resistance to tetracyclines and trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole are reported in approximately 20% and 35% of isolates, respectively, and resistance to multiple classes of agents is increasingly common. Amoxicillin, amoxicillin-clavulanate, respiratory fluoroquinolones, and clindamycin are currently the most effective agents for treatment of respiratory tract infections caused by S pneumoniae, with >90% of isolates in the United States being susceptible. Vancomycin is the only agent against which resistance has n...
Source: The American Journal of Medicine Supplements - Category: Drugs & Pharmacology Source Type: research