[Pneumococcal antibiotic resistance. Results from 21 regional registries for 1999]

The prevalence of reduced susceptibility to penicillin was an estimated 40% with rates of 23% for amoxicillin and 15% for cefotaxime. For resistant strains, the rates were 11% for penicillin, 1.3% for amoxicillin and 0.3% for cefotaxime. For respiratory tract samples grouped together, pneumococcal resistance to antibiotics, erythromycin excepted, has increased little in France since 1997. For lung samples, beta-lactam activity has remained stable with only rare strains exhibiting amoxicillin and cefotaxime resistance.

The prevalence of reduced susceptibility to penicillin was 53%, 32% for amoxicillin and 22% for cefotaxime. Despite a high rate of penicillin-G resistant strains (16%), amoxicillin and cefotaxime resistant strains remain rare, 2.8% and 1.2% respectively. For all samples grouped together, pneumococcal resistance to antibiotics, erythromycin excepted, has increased little in France since 1997. There has however been an alarming rise in resistance of strains isolated from blood cultures. Globally, beta-lactam activity has remained stable and only rare amoxicillin and cefotaxime resistant strains have been isolated, including middle ear fluid sample. SEROTYPE DISTRIBUTION: Among the strains with reduced susceptibility to penicillin isolated in 1999, the more frequent serotypes were serotypes 6, 9, 14, 15, 19 or 23.