Antibiotic bacterial resistance in ambulatory patients

This study evaluates trends in antibiotic resistance in patients who were treated in an ambulatory setting.

The authors compiled the data from all lower respiratory track(sputum) cultures collected from ambulatory patients who visited the Olmsted Medical Center and Mayo Clinic between 1985 and 1998. Cultured organisms were identified, and Minimal Inhibitory Concentration (MIC) values were presented and categorized as susceptible, intermediate, or resistant based on the National Committee for Clinical Laboratory Standards (NCCLS) guidelines for MIC and antibiotic susceptibility.

4,297 potentially pathogenic organisms were obtained from sputum cultures for 1,921 patients. The most discernible changes in antibiotic resistance appeared to be in cultures positive for Pseudomonas aeruginosa. A trend toward increasing resistance of isolates of Streptococcus pneumoniae to beta-lactam drugs was observed in a portion of the population. An emerging intermediate susceptibility among isolates of Klebsiella pneumoniae and Pseudoumonas species was noted.

Trends in antimicrobial resistance of respiratory pathogens from ambulatory patients are less clear than those from hospitalized patients, but must be monitored because of the high percentage of ambulatory patients who receive empirical therapies. Trends in intermediate susceptibility patterns may help reveal emerging antimicrobial resistance.