Bacterial susceptibility to antimicrobial drugs used in medical practice - Ribeirão Preto (SP) - 1994

Abstract

The authors analyse the bacterial susceptibility to antimicrobial drugs in strains isolated during 1994 in the university hospital of the Ribeirão Preto Medical School - University of São Paulo (USP) - Brazil. Oxacillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus was verified in 17% of community strains, and in 51% of nosocomial infection strains. The correspondent rates for Staphylococcus epidermidis were, respectively, 19% and 39%. In vitro resistance to penicillin was observed in 7% of the pneumococci strains and in 20% of enterococci strains. All the Gram-positive cocci, except few microorganisms, were susceptible to vancomycin and teicoplanin. Respecting enterobacteria, the in vitro susceptibility was low for ampicillin, carbenicillin and sulfamethoxazole-trimethoprim (26% - 53%), intermediate for cephalothin, chloramphenicol and cefoxitin (64% - 82%) and high for third-generation cephalosporins, amikacin, fluoroquinolones, aztreonam and imipenem (93% - 99%). More than 90% of the Pseudomonas aeruginosa strains were susceptible to ceftazidime, aztreonam and imipenem. Acinetobacter calcoaceticus, common agent of nosocomial infections, showed high susceptibility (98%) to imipenem, but frequent resistance to other antimicrobials. The final commentaries were about the selection of antibiotics for treatment of community and hospital-acquired infections.