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Drawbacks of antibiotic susceptibility of Streptococcus pneumoniae

Maria Bruna Pasticci, Franco Baldelli, Angela Cardaccia

    Le Infezioni in Medicina
    |February 28, 2004
    PubMed

    Insights

    Penicillin resistance in Streptococcus pneumoniae remained stable over 10 years, with 13% of isolates showing non-susceptibility. However, all strains remained susceptible to key antibiotics like ceftriaxone and levofloxacin.

    Area of Science:

    • Microbiology
    • Infectious Diseases
    • Antimicrobial Resistance

    Background:

    • This study monitored penicillin resistance trends in clinical isolates of Streptococcus pneumoniae over a decade.
    • It assessed the cumulative proportion of penicillin non-susceptible Streptococcus pneumoniae (PNSP) and their minimum inhibitory concentrations (MIC).

    Discussion:

    • While overall penicillin resistance was stable, a significant proportion (38.4%) exhibited cotrimoxazole resistance.
    • The limited isolation of PNSP from sterile body fluids suggests lower clinical impact in invasive infections.

    Key Insights:

    • Cumulative penicillin non-susceptibility in S. pneumoniae was 13.0% (7.2% for MIC ≥ 2 mg/l).
    • All S. pneumoniae isolates remained fully susceptible to ceftriaxone, levofloxacin, moxifloxacin, and quinupristin-dalfopristin, indicating these are reliable treatment options.

    Outlook:

    • Continued surveillance of antimicrobial resistance in S. pneumoniae is crucial.
    • The consistent susceptibility to broad-spectrum cephalosporins and fluoroquinolones offers therapeutic alternatives for resistant strains.

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