Surveillance study of resistance in Haemophilus species in Greece

The results are presented of the first surveillance study in Greece on resistance in strains of Haemophilus influenzae (n = 61) and Haemophilus parainfluenzae (n = 96) to six antibiotics. Strains were isolated in a three-month period in 1987 in most cases from sputum specimens from adult patients with lung infections. The overall rate of resistance to ampicillin was 28.3%, to chloramphenicol 2.7%, to cefaclor 2.7%, to tetracycline 10.6%, to erythromycin 38.1% and to cotrimoxazole 5.3%. It is evident that the resistance rate of Haemophilus spp. is steadily increasing in Greece as in other European countries. Regular surveys of resistance patterns for both older and newer antimicrobial agents are therefore necessary.