Antimicrobial resistance problem in a university hospital

In a study conducted in 1991 in the National University Hospital, Singapore, the susceptibilities of a total of 2156 recent clinical isolates were tested against 25 antimicrobial drugs. The organisms were those isolated from routine specimens received in the microbiology laboratory. About 40% Staphylococcus aureus isolations in the hospital were resistant to methicillin. A high incidence of the resistance was noted among Staphylococcus aureus and coagulase negative staphylococci to antistaphylococcal drugs. Acinetobacter sp. and Klebsiella sp. are becoming major threats with regard to antimicrobial treatment as they are multi-drug resistant. Pseudomonas aeruginosa did not show a resistance problem except to pefloxacin (74%). Ampicillin resistance of Acinetobacter sp. (93%) was reduced to 71% by ampicillin/clavulanic acid and to 7% by ampicillin/sulbactam. With regards to the urinary isolates higher rates of resistance were noticed with Pseudomonas aeruginosa to antipseudomonas drugs and for co-trimoxazole with other Gram negative organisms, compared to non-urinary isolates.