Article ID | Journal | Published Year | Pages | File Type |
---|---|---|---|---|
9276037 | Clinical Microbiology and Infection | 2005 | 8 Pages |
Abstract
A surveillance study was performed throughout Germany from November 2001 to June 2002 to assess the prevalence of linezolid-resistant isolates among Gram-positive bacteria from routine susceptibility data and to compare the in-vitro activity of linezolid to that of other antibacterial agents. Each of 86 laboratories provided routine susceptibility data for 100 consecutive isolates. Most laboratories (c. 60%) used the disk diffusion test. Laboratories were also requested to send a representative sample of their isolates, as well as all isolates reported as intermediate or resistant to linezolid, to a reference laboratory for MIC determination. Susceptibility data for 8594 isolates were evaluated. Sites of infection were skin and soft tissue (29.9%), upper and lower respiratory tract (19.1%), foreign body or catheter (10.5%), or urinary tract (9.8%). Routine linezolid susceptibility data were reported for 6433 isolates. The prevalence of linezolid resistance, as reported to the clinician, was 0.4% in Staphylococcus aureus, 0.3% in Staphylococcus epidermidis, 2.9%in Enterococcus faecalis, 2.3%in Enterococcus faecium, 1.4%in Streptococcus pyogenes and 2.9% in Streptococcus agalactiae. Linezolid resistance was not detected in Streptococcus pneumoniae or in viridans group streptococci. Sixty-nine of 115 isolates reported as intermediate or resistant to linezolid were retested, but none was resistant to linezolid. Linezolid exhibited excellent in-vitro activity against representative isolates of the six most frequently encountered species (MIC90, 1-2 mg/L). The prevalence of resistance to linezolid was very low in Germany. Organisms reported as linezolid-resistant should be retested, either in the same laboratory with an alternative method or in a reference laboratory.
Keywords
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Authors
J. Brauers, M. Kresken, D. Hafner, P.M. Shah, on behalf of the German Linezolid Resistance Study Group on behalf of the German Linezolid Resistance Study Group,